What does extortion mean?
Extortion is the crime of obtaining money, property, or other advantages from a person by force, threats, or the misuse of official power. Unlike theft, which takes property without the victim's consent through stealth, extortion compels the victim to hand it over willingly out of fear — whether of violence, reputational damage, or some other harm. The term is most often encountered in legal contexts, as in 'charged with extortion', but it also appears in everyday speech as a hyperbolic complaint about prices that seem outrageously high. Its connotations are invariably negative, implying abuse of power and the exploitation of vulnerability. Related forms include 'extortionist' (the person who commits it) and 'extortionate' (describing demands or prices that are excessively high). Understanding extortion matters because it names one of the oldest and most universal abuses of power — one recognised as criminal in virtually every modern legal system.
nounThe practice of obtaining something, especially money, from someone by force, threats, or the abuse of authority. It is a criminal offence in which coercion—rather than stealth—is used to extract property or advantage.
- The crime of obtaining money, property, or favours from someone through force, threats, or intimidation.
- An amount of money extracted by such coercive means; excessive or exorbitant charges (figurative use).
"The mayor was arrested for extortion after demanding payments from local businesses in exchange for permits."
"He was convicted of extortion for threatening to expose the executive's affairs unless she paid him."
"Twenty dollars for a sandwich? This is outright extortion."
Rarely used in the plural; 'extortion' is usually an uncountable mass noun referring to the practice in general. Plural forms appear mainly when counting individual acts.
"He stood accused of multiple extortions carried out over several years."
The word 'extortion' literally means 'twisting out' — in Roman law, a torturer twisted the truth out of a victim, and English borrowed the image for anyone who twists money out of you.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of extortion
Extortion comes from the Latin 'extortio', derived from 'extorquere', meaning 'to twist out' — formed from 'ex-' ('out') and 'torquere' ('to twist'). The same root gives English 'torture', 'tort', and 'distort'. The word entered English in the late Middle Ages via Old French, initially carrying its legal sense of obtaining something wrongfully by authority or force, and has retained that core meaning ever since.
Related word forms
How extortion is actually used
Extortion is a formal legal term and carries strongly negative connotations; it is never neutral. In everyday figurative speech it is often used hyperbolically to complain about prices regarded as unreasonably high. The related adjective 'extortionate' is common in British English ('extortionate prices'), while American English more often uses 'exorbitant'.
Easily confused with extortion
Blackmail is a specific form of extortion that involves threats to reveal damaging information, whereas extortion more broadly covers obtaining anything of value through any kind of threat or force.