estorsione
/es.torˈsjo.ne/feminine
Extortion in Italian is estorsione.
The noun estorsione refers to the practice of extorting money or other property. In legal or news contexts, if you want to describe an attempted extortion, the standard phrase used is tentativo di estorsione. The related verb meaning to extort is estorcere.
Meaning: the practice of extorting money or other property (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Southern Italy and Sicily, the term pizzo is used specifically to refer to a type of mafia extortion.
How does it change in a sentence?
Estorsione is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/es.torˈsjo.ne/. The word has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- Italy has a dedicated non-profit movement called Addiopizzo that helps business owners refuse to pay extortion money and promotes a 'pizzo-free' economy.
- The specific term pizzo comes from the word for 'piece' or 'tip', referring to the 'small piece' of profit the mafia demands as protection money.
- In legal contexts, the distinction between estorsione and rapina is crucial, as the former involves psychological pressure or threats while the latter involves immediate physical force.
Examples in context
- Tom è stato vittima di un tentativo di estorsione.Tom was the victim of an extortion attempt.This sentence is useful for describing a victim of an attempted extortion using estorsione.Tatoeba #2193432 by Guybrush88, translation #1426346 by Spamster
- Questa è estorsione.This is extortion.This sentence is useful for stating that a specific act is estorsione.Tatoeba #6055821 by Guybrush88, translation #2906759 by Hybrid
- La polizia sta indagando su un caso di estorsione.The police are investigating a case of extortion.
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Martina are discussing a news report about a local gang.
- LorenzoHanno arrestato i responsabili di quella estorsione.They arrested those responsible for that extortion.
- MartinaFinalmente è finita questa storia.Finally, this story is over.
- LorenzoSì, i commercianti ora sono più tranquilli.Yes, the shopkeepers are calmer now.
- MartinaSpero che non accada più.I hope it doesn't happen again.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “extortion” translations and entries estorsione, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
