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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of racketeer
Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024
Three co-defendants accepted plea deals earlier this week on racketeering conspiracy charges and were sentenced to probation and time served.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 31 Oct. 2024
Anthony Gregory / Made By History, TIME, 23 July 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for racketeer
Noun
Conahan pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024
Three co-defendants accepted plea deals earlier this week on racketeering conspiracy charges and were sentenced to probation and time served.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
While President Herbert Hoover had waged a war against kidnappers and racketeers, Roosevelt amplified the effort dramatically, pushed it in new directions, and overcame the jurisdictional, racial, partisan, and class divisions that had previously obstructed the law-and-order state.
—Anthony Gregory / Made By History, TIME, 23 July 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for racketeer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racketeer
Noun
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Caldovino plays New York City gangster Goodie in season 3 of Tulsa King, jumping from a recurring player to a series regular.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
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Now is the time to push back in defense of free speech – as strongly and as publicly as the gangsters on the left and right are threatening to revoke it.—
Onkar Ghate,
Oc Register,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These teen boys were blackmailed online.—
Nancy Cutler,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
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There have been reports of hackers using your home's location on maps to blackmail you or impersonating your boss to demand money.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Girls were there and there were guys that were really extra on some thug, some goon sh*t.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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We’re then introduced to Louie, a thug who works for a loan shark, threatening and killing people.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Diplomats told investigators that some foreign nationals were extorted as much as $10,000 to avoid arrest at checkpoints.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
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Epstein also claimed at the time that his cellmate had tried to extort him.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Despite paying off blackmailers and marrying Lady Olivia Hedges (Danielle Galligan) to protect his secret, Arthur still loses his father’s Parliament seat after getting caught committing election fraud.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On fourth-and-1 from the 24, J’Mari Taylor muscled inside for 3 yards.—
David Teel,
Miami Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
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Mexico just muscled its way into the world’s top-ten music markets for the first time, with concert attendance more than tripling since 2019, according to Reuters.—
Alex Ashley,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These kinds of sweeping outages are typically the result either of ransomware attacks, where online extortionists paralyse corporate networks in the hope of payment, or deliberate sabotage.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
20 Sep. 2025
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These kinds of sweeping outages are typically the result either of ransomware attacks, where online extortionists paralyze corporate networks in the hope of payment, or deliberate digital sabotage.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Queen of the Dead then reappears as human Wanda in an attempt to coerce the teen into helping her.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Sep. 2025
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Other charges dismissed as part of an April plea agreement included two counts of persuading or coercing a minor to engage in prostitution.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Racketeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeer. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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