Also means
extortion
Usage Note
Ricatto is masculine: il ricatto, plural i ricatti. It specifically means blackmail (coercion through threatened exposure), distinguishable from estorsione (extortion through violence or threats of harm). The verb is ricattare (to blackmail), and the perpetrator is il ricattatore / la ricattatrice. Tenere qualcuno in pugno con un ricatto = to hold someone over a barrel.
Examples
"Ha ceduto al ricatto per paura dello scandalo."
Natural Translation
He gave in to the blackmail for fear of the scandal.
Related Words
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