extortioner

noun

Definition of extortionernext
as in gangster
a person who gets money from another by using force or threats extortioners threatened to beat up the shop owner if he didn't pay the bribe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for extortioner
  1. gangster
  2. thug
  3. extortionist
  4. blackmailer
  5. racketeer
Noun
  • The Capone associates lined up six members of Moran's gang, and a seventh unaffiliated man who apparently liked hanging out with gangsters, against the north wall of the garage.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Matt’s blood cells gain the ability to transform and instantly reshape his body into someone else, such as Corr or the gangster who disfigured him or even his own father (played in a quick cameo by Aaron Paul).
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • The other was Albrecht Hohler, thirty, a Communist member of the paramilitary group the Red Front Fighters and well known locally as a particularly vicious thug—a petty criminal who had been released from jail only a few months earlier.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
  • These low-level thugs typically are not believed to be formally aligned with Iran.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • Carrot Top's lawyer has filed an emergency motion to prevent his alleged extortionist and former friend, Brian Evans, from filing more documents.
    — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026
  • There still will be scammers, extortionists, extremists and others who try to take advantage of teens and adults.
    — Larry Magid, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of extortionist
Noun
  • Apple’s decision to briefly remove Telegram from the App Store has been blamed on a blackmailer duping the company into executing a takedown, according to Telegram’s CEO.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The blackmailer continues to call her, demanding money in exchange for keeping her cam-boy secrets.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Definition of blackmailer
Noun
  • Rankin singles out the remarkable career of Sakai Eizo, a racketeer who founded the Great Japanese Order of Righteousness.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Of course, entrusting waste management to gangsters and racketeers has repercussions.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 July 2026
Definition of racketeer
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.

Browse Nearby Words

extortionately
extortioner
extortioners
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Extortioner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extortioner. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of reticent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All