as in gangster
a person who gets money from another by using force or threats
the racketeer threatened to have his thugs vandalize the shop if the shopkeeper didn't pay him a monthly bribe
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to blackmail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of racketeer
Time, 25 July 2023
Stephanie was cunning—even ruthless—and a notorious racketeer.
—The New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2023
Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024
In 1994, Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding’s ex-husband, pleaded guilty in Portland, Oregon, to racketeering for his part in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in exchange for a 24-month sentence and a $100,000 fine.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for racketeer 
Noun
As revealed in previously undisclosed FBI files, Manton fraternized with racketeers and accepted large loans and gifts from such unsavory sources.
—Time, 25 July 2023
Stephanie was cunning—even ruthless—and a notorious racketeer.
—The New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2023
Verb
Zoom in: Madigan is charged with 23 counts ranging from racketeering conspiracy to a host of other crimes.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024
In 1994, Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding’s ex-husband, pleaded guilty in Portland, Oregon, to racketeering for his part in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in exchange for a 24-month sentence and a $100,000 fine.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for racketeer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racketeer
Noun
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Three Thai women were rescued after a group of Chinese gangsters enslaved them in the former Soviet republic of Georgia in order to harvest their eggs.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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Ball of Fire also pairs up a gangster’s moll, Sugarpuss O’Shea (Barbara Stanwyck), and a professor, Bertram Potts (Gary Cooper) who work together trying to take down her mob boss boyfriend, all while falling in love.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
People.com,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The investigation leads Cole into an ugly world of red-neck thugs and disappeared girls.—
Sandra Dallas,
The Denver Post,
2 Feb. 2025
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How many of you recall the TV image on Jan. 6, 2021, of Officer Daniel Hodges, squashed in a revolving door at the U.S. Capitol, screaming for help as MAGA thugs beat on his head?—
Trudy Rubin,
The Mercury News,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Kate O'Flaherty Ransom DDoS Is On The Rise In the final quarter of 2024, Cloudflare observed a surge in Ransom DDoS attacks, where adversaries try to extort money by threatening to take down their targets' web properties or networks.—
Kate O'Flaherty,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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The policy was a boon for drug cartel members, who targeted asylum seekers to extort, kidnap and rape them, human rights groups say.—
Annie Correal,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The opportunity to muscle his way into Berube’s good books, just as he’s done with coaches before him, is right there for Quillan.—
Joshua Kloke,
The Athletic,
25 Jan. 2025
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Mega social media platforms usually suffer a long death, shedding relevance and users as they’re slowly usurped by a new innovative generation of upstarts, like Facebook muscling out Myspace.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA TODAY,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Supreme Court's Bantam Books v. Sullivan precedent makes clear that government officials can't use their position to coerce private entities into censorship.—
Brenda Looper,
arkansasonline.com,
5 Feb. 2025
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One text, seen by North Carolina outlet WSOC-TV, shows the scammers pretending to be the IRS in an attempt to coerce recipients.—
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The administration's decision to cap NIH reimbursement rates could force scientists to shutter their lifesaving research on cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, addiction, infectious diseases, and more.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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But he was forced to cash them in a decade ago to pay a large dental bill.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Brush, by Eliana Hernández-Pachón, translated by Robin Myers The Brush is a book-length poem about people trapped and menaced by forces beyond their control.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
4 Dec. 2024
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But, in a shift, countries that have been close trading partners of the United States also saw their economies menaced.—
Annie Correal,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to racketeer
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Cite this Entry
“Racketeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeer. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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