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
Relevance
as in to blackmail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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 $100,000 fine.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for racketeer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racketeer
Noun
-
His family told the local press that the man responsible for his death was a gangster from a rival group who had been living in exile in South Africa.Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2025
-
The group’s chairman is John Chan, a former Chinatown gangster convicted of human trafficking and drug smuggling charges in the mid-2000s who has since become influential in New York politics.Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The proximate cause of the war crimes chronicled in Han’s novels is South Korea’s succession of authoritarian governments, their soldiers and police; on Jeju Island, these were joined by gangs of right-wing thugs.Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 14 Jan. 2025
-
Yes, that is Canet playing the paragliding avenger, Franck, who’s trying to free his abducted pregnant wife, Léo (Stéphane Caillard), from a blackmailing thug.Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The Peekskill Central School District in New York is warning families of a disturbing new scam in which criminals use generative artificial intelligence to mimic children’s voices in an attempt to extort money from unsuspecting parents.Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025
-
Tacopina said the allegations were an attempt to extort money from A$AP Rocky.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
On 4th-and-1 from the Chargers’ 17, Joe Mixon took a handoff and and muscled through a couple Los Angeles defenders for a touchdown.Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 12 Jan. 2025
-
These Gators pack a considerable punch, with Clayton and Martin as high-volume perimeter shooters and a cadre of elite rebounders muscling this team to second in the country in rebounds per game.Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
But a divided panel of appeals court judges said the parents hadn’t shown that they or their children had been coerced to believe or act contrary to their religious views.Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2025
-
In early 2018, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled that Samuels had coerced McCool into letting the deputy sheriff search his apartment and vacated the convictions.Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The human dancing videos and the cat dancing videos on TikTok have nothing on the dancing by politicians who voted for the law forcing its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to either sell the popular and addictive app or face a shutdown in this country.New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2025
-
The Palisades and Eaton Fires have destroyed thousands of homes, killed at least 25 people and forced more than 150,000 residents to evacuate from their homes.Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
According to the filing, around 15-20 people armed with rifles and handguns kidnapped the pair on Dec. 16 and took them to a vacant apartment where they were tied up, questioned, robbed, assaulted and menaced.Seth Klamann, The Denver Post, 10 Jan. 2025
-
At least five people have died, roughly 1,000 structures have been destroyed and tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate as multiple fires menace the L.A. area and encroach on its suburbs.Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to racketeer
Thesaurus Entries Near racketeer
Cite this Entry
“Racketeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeer. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share