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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
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2025
His buddy Truffaut even has an idea about a would-be French gangster who gets into hot water, based roughly on the true-crime tabloid story of Michel Portail.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
In two years, gangster rap would explode.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Farrell didn’t get all that much to do in this early bit as a small-time goon working for a folk-hero gangster played by Kevin Spacey (who reportedly discovered Farrell and asked him to join the cast).
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 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 6 Nov. 2025.
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