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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.
Examples of gangster in a Sentence
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
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
Shannon is looking for love in the shadow of her gangster father, Dylan (Riley), devoted mum Cat (Fraser), older brother Luke (Gribben) and family matriarch, grandma Ollie (Duncan).
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 22 Sep. 2025
While on right-wing influencer Benny Johnson’s podcast on Wednesday, Carr openly threatened ABC with investigation and retaliation by the FCC, using the clichéd language of a bad gangster movie.
—Jason Bailey, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangster
Cite this Entry
“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangster. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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