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
Relevance
as in to blackmail
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of racketeer
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 Mar. 2025
Oh yeah, this relationship with this 38-year-old racketeer is so beautiful.
—
Michael Cuby,
Them,
1 Aug. 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
In the other corner: Vito Genovese, Costello’s childhood friend and fellow racketeer, who had to leave town long ago because of a thing, and has now come home to resume his place in the Mafia hierarchy.
—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 Mar. 2025
Oh yeah, this relationship with this 38-year-old racketeer is so beautiful.
—
Michael Cuby,
Them,
1 Aug. 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
-
Neither immigrant family should be linked to violent gangsters, of course.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
-
By telling a relatively straightforward story that blends real people from the era of the Gotti Mafia family with imagined characters, Martin Scorsese's dramedy biopic about a kid who falls in love with the gangster life is as even-keeled as anything the director has made.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Okay, so the AI took it upon itself to blackmail the person.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
-
Later, we’re treated to an electrifying scene of Dennis blackmailing a woman named Joyce Tercek in an elevator.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Ditto Hugh Jackman’s unerring performance — perhaps his finest dramatic work yet — as a savage, unfeeling thug and unrepentant murderer and thief.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
-
The actions of these thugs, who should be imprisoned for a long while, is the cause of denying real Knicks fans the chance to watch the game communally.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Antoine Larry, a former patrol officer in south suburban Phoenix, was accused of conspiring with another officer to extort suspects for cash and drugs during traffic stops.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
Richards attained fame as a pioneering male supermodel in major ad campaigns by the likes of Bruce Weber, Richard Avedon, and Helmut Newton, but all along he was being extorted and exploited by Mierers and his followers to bolster (and bankroll) their shaky, pseudoscientific philosophy.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
The blackmailer continues to call her, demanding money in exchange for keeping her cam-boy secrets.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
-
On advice of his crisis lawyer Ira Slitz (Hill, unrecognizable with a bald head and gray beard), Reef sets out to apologize to everyone from his past who may be angry with him in an effort to find the blackmailer.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The 6-foot-1 Courtney has even muscled up more.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
Muncy should muscle up for a home run tonight.—
Josh Shepardson,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Insulted, Beth calls her an extortionist and walks out.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
As the bomb squad works to disarm it, FBI rushes to catch the extortionists.—
William Earl,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Weger later insisted he had been coerced into making the confession.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
-
The decentralized group, created by 15-year-old Bradley Chance Cadenhead in Stephenville, targets children through social media, gaming platforms and messaging apps to coerce them into self-harm and sharing explicit content.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Racketeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeer. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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