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
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Recent Examples of racketeer
Michael Cuby, Them, 1 Aug. 2024
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
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
See All Example Sentences for racketeer
Noun
Oh yeah, this relationship with this 38-year-old racketeer is so beautiful.
—Michael Cuby, Them, 1 Aug. 2024
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
Verb
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
See All Example Sentences for racketeer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racketeer
Noun
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In the movie’s fuzzy metaphysics, Shelley wills herself into the consciousness of a character named Ida (also played by Buckley), a young woman angling for survival in 1930s Chicago — a colorful, dangerous world of bawdy lotharios and lethal gangsters.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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After all, the larger-than-life actor was mostly known for playing a gangster in Goodfellas (1990).—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Previous research has shown AIs hiding intentions and trying to blackmail users when faced with shutdown.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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Sunny Nights stars D'Arcy Carden and Will Forte as a pair of siblings trying to launch a spray tan company out of the back of their van, only for things to go from bad to worse when they're blackmailed, indebted to a criminal syndicate, and running for their lives.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Democrats, though, have no problems releasing all these bloodthirsty thugs back into the neighborhood.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
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In a season 3 teaser, Peter saves Suraj Sharma's Jay Batra from some thugs at a soccer stadium.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Alex LaMorie, the 25-year-old man with autism shot dead by police on March 1, called the police because he was being extorted, Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der revealed Thursday.—
April Santana,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Mar. 2026
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The official reports into that incident show that Epstein initially told prison officials that his cellmate had tried to kill him after extorting him for money.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In Season 2, eager to take on another big undercover case, Charles Nieuwendyk (Danson) gets his chance when a mysterious blackmailer targets Wheeler College president Jack Berenger (Max Greenfield), who enlists Charles to go undercover as a professor.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
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Charles’ boss, Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), takes the case, and given Charles’ background as a retired Cal State East Bay engineering professor, installs him as a visiting professor tasked with rooting out the blackmailer.—
G. Allen Johnson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
20 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The five-foot-three, 160-pound Ramirez grabbed her from behind, kept her from getting in her car and tried to muscle her toward his muscle car, a white Camaro.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
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Giddey subbed back in and muscled his way through 5 minutes, 28 seconds of play.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Several customers, a Miami-Dade judge and now the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services say Thompson’s a fraudulent, bait-and-switch extortionist.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
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Nike depicts Total90 as an extortionist.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
2 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Its ballistic-missile program—the backbone of Tehran’s ability to coerce the region—has suffered immense damage.—
Richard Goldberg,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
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As long as the intimacy coordinators are being hired by the studio, my view of their role is that their job is to coerce the actors into doing things, as opposed to advocate on their behalf against the studio.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Racketeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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