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
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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
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The single arrived alongside a music directed by Luis De Pena and Yaslynn Rivera, which pays homage to classic West Coast gangster films.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
27 Mar. 2026
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They get captured by Hungarian gangsters and have to fight (and kill) their way out of an inn run by a shady former dance prodigy (Uma Thurman).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
27 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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Suddenly Odin gets a call telling him Korps leader Attila (Eili Harboe) and her thugs are on their way to finish the job.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
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The new Homeland Security person needs to unmask the thugs causing harm to families and innocent children.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The hackers behind the botnets then sold access to cybercriminals, resulting in hundreds of thousands of DDoS attacks that could also try to extort victims.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
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In schemes orchestrated with Iza, Coberg arranged a fake drug arrest and stood guard while a victim was extorted.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
16 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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Seeded first in this NCAA regional and ranked second overall nationally behind 37-0 Connecticut, UCLA muscled past Minnesota 80-56 to start the festivities as Sacramento hosted a women’s tournament for the first time since 2010.—
Joe Davidson
March 27,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
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The headache of muscling a bill through the Senate, a chamber with its own unique set of rules and senator privileges, was enough to keep Thune from pursuing reconciliation until this week.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
28 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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Singh, however, argued that Jones was not coerced but fearful of the consequences.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
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The lawsuit says that HHS' declaration seeks to coerce providers to stop providing gender-affirming care and circumvent legal requirements for policy changes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Racketeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeer. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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