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
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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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The other is about Chicago-style gangsters circa 1929.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
20 Oct. 2025
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Yes, there are gangster films, the crime movies, and then there’s The Wolf of Wall Street, which is a really profound piece of work.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The offenders will get young women to send explicit photos using similar blackmailing tactics.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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Shay blackmails him, triggering a father-son feud.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This haunting film was also his first collaboration with Hellboy’s Ron Perlman, who plays a thug out to get the beetle for his rich uncle.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
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In The Big Lebowski, thugs mistake the titular slacker (Bridges) for the wealthy Jeffrey Lebowski, sending him on a wild investigation with his pal Walter (John Goodman) into a ransom plot involving Lebowski’s young wife (Tara Reid).—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Nearly a billion records were stolen across dozens of organizations, and now cybercriminals are extorting victims by threatening to publish the data unless hefty ransoms are paid.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
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Federal prosecutors who allege that Suffolk Sheriff Steven Tompkins extorted a Boston cannabis company are requesting the court to consider whether the defense counsel’s representation poses a conflict of interest in the case.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Things get complicated when Shay recruits the neighborhood creep for backup and Yaki brings in an ex-cop to smoke out his blackmailer.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
8 Oct. 2025
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This guy was the greatest blackmailer ever.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Norris struggled to repass Leclerc for second, after the Ferrari had muscled by with the extra grip afforded by his soft tires at the start, with Leclerc’s stout defending then hindering their chase of Verstappen.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
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World Athletics said Semenya and a few other DSD athletes in international track have testosterone levels in the male range, giving them an unfair advantage over other women because of the hormone's connection to muscle mass and cardio-vascular performance.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Oct. 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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In a free society, the government provides broad media access and doesn’t try to coerce reporters into providing only favorable coverage.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
19 Oct. 2025
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Our federal government is coercing institutions to follow its dictates on student admissions, curriculum and programs.—
George R. Boggs,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Racketeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeer. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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