You searched for: “extortion”
extortion (s) (noun), extortions (pl)
1. The crime of obtaining something; such as, money or information from someone by using force, threats, or other unacceptable methods: Someone tried to use extortion by calling an elderly woman and falsely claiming that he was her nephew and that he needed money so he could travel back home and he would visit her at her apartment to pick it up the next day; however, a woman showed up and claimed she was there to get the money for the nephew.

Fortunately, the police had been informed by the elderly lady and they were waiting to arrest the woman and, later, the so-called nephew for their criminal extortion.

2. The illegal use of someone's official position, or powers, to obtain property, funds, or patronage: A secretary of a businessman threatened extortion by saying she would turn him in for embezzling money from his company unless he paid her a sum of cash.
3. Etymology: from Latin extorquere, "to wrench out, to wrest away"; from ex-, "out" + torquere "to twist".
Taking money from someone by force, threats, or by the misuse of authority.
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Taking money from anyone by threats or by the illegal use of power.
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This entry is located in the following units: ex-, e-, ef- (page 5) -tion (page 12) tors-, tort-, -tort, tortu-, torqu- (page 2)
Word Entries at Get Words: “extortion”
extortion, extortions
The acquisition or gaining of money, by the use of force, trickery, or threats. (2)
This entry is located in the following unit: Word a Day Revisited Index of Cartoons Illustrating the Meanings of Words (page 37)