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
Example 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
Ira Trivedi, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2015
Parts of the city turned into wastelands of racketeers and alcoholics.
—Simon Shuster, TIME, 4 Jan. 2024
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
She was arrested and charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act, usually reserved for drug racketeers and smugglers running large operations.
—Ira Trivedi, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2015
Parts of the city turned into wastelands of racketeers and alcoholics.
—Simon Shuster, TIME, 4 Jan. 2024
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
-
Mel Novak, the great movie villain known for his slick turns as the sniper Stick in Bruce Lee’s Game of Death, the gangster Blue Eyes in Jim Kelly’s Black Belt Jones and the informant Tony Montoya in Chuck Norris’ An Eye for an Eye, has died.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Apr. 2025
-
What begins as a deep Southern gangster period piece soon transforms into a harrowing fight for survival and spiritual freedom against a ruthless clan of vampires.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Letterman may be the obvious precedent but Mulaney’s delivery is less snide than lightly panicked, as if some Netflix thugs have their hands on a switch off-camera, eager to cut to black.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The Depardieu shtick — his public persona as a crude, working-class thug — was on full display.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Moira created a hemorrhagic fever and stole the antidote in attempt to extort millions of dollars from biotech executives by threatening another global pandemic.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
-
When a mentally disturbed neighbor sets herself on fire and a slumlord tries to extort money from them, the family gets tangled in the corruption that keeps a stranglehold on the slum’s inhabitants.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
These supplies making their way to Europe, as well as American LNG supplies muscling into the market, lessen the demand for Russian exports, Sabatus said.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Just like their clothes, her friends’ bodies had more purpose now, Amina thought; they were muscled and smooth, made to look that way through discipline and deliberation.—
Ayşegül Savaş,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The administration is threatening to withhold federal money from universities as a way to coerce many of them to comply with administration policies in ways that implicate free speech and in some instances violate legal processes for the withholding of federal support.—
Daniel Hall,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Its alliances were coerced, its innovations lagged behind, and its industrial system collapsed under its own contradictions.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
However, Barron's slender frame and short arms may force him to play as a nickel corner in the NFL.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Companies that need these elements have been forced to buy them from other firms with existing private stockpiles, which have become more valuable in recent weeks.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Among the Trump administration’s demands on Columbia University in return for restoring $400 million in funding was a ban on masks, which many peaceful protesters wear not to menace others but to avoid being identified by facial recognition.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2025
-
So far, the wolves have never menaced any humans, but a risk does exist.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Racketeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeer. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share