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What is the history of the word gangster?
Gangster came into the English language at the latter portion of the 19th century, as one of what is now a large parcel of words which have been formed by adding the noun combining form –ster to an existing word. The ending -ster has a number of possible meanings (“one that does, handles, or operates,” “one that makes or uses,” “one that is associated with or participates in,” “one that is”), and one of its interesting elements is that it has, in many cases, shifted its gender. This second portion of gangster comes from the Old English -estre, meaning “female agent.” The word tapster ("a bartender"), for instance, was tæppestre in Old English, and designated a barmaid, or female tapster. In modern use the addition of -ster may often be found in a gender-neutral sense, as with hipster, or with implications of masculinity, as with gangster and mobster, through prevalence of usage.
Synonyms
Examples of gangster in a Sentence
Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 27 June 2024
State-of-the-art entrance gates should have been in place years ago, and security presence on buses would have been deterrence enough to keep out the non-paying punks, scammers, gangsters and thugs.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 June 2024
And afterward, there was this underground casino party that attracted celebrities, athletes, entertainers and gangsters from all over the country.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2024
And for the most part, its parade of cartoonish gangsters and horny sorority girls doesn’t.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for gangster 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gangster.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gangster
Cite this Entry
“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangster. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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