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racketeering 1 of 2

noun

as in gangsterism

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racketeering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of racketeer
as in extorting

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of racketeering
Noun
California health clinics accuse an influential union and its leader of racketeering in civil lawsuit. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 Gunna spent about four years in prison for his role in a wide-ranging racketeering case involving several Atlanta rap personalities. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 19 Sep. 2026 Danette Colbert, 49, was also convicted of racketeering, as was her accomplice, 35-year-old Rickey White, according to Paul Purpura, a spokesperson for the district attorney's office. — CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026 Colbert, 49, and her co-defendant, Rickey White, 35, were also both found guilty of racketeering. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026 The Justice Department said 19 people were arrested across four countries in December as part of investigations involving visa fraud, racketeering, money laundering and related offenses. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026 About a decade ago, this office also prosecuted FIFA officials and sports-marketing executives for racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering over bribes and kickbacks. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Just a few months before he was scheduled to be released from prison, Junior was charged in an 11-count racketeering indictment that included an alleged plot to kidnap Curtis Sliwa. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026 Spence, who pleaded guilty to assault in aid of racketeering and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, could face between 24 and 27-and-a-half years behind bars. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racketeering
  1. gangsterism
  2. extorting
  3. malfeasance
  4. blackmailing
  5. criminality
  6. coercing
  7. misconduct
  8. wresting
Noun
  • Plot summary The movie is set in Chicago in the 1930s, a time of economic deprivation and bold gangsterism and outlawry.
    — Alison Eldridge, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Feb. 2026
Definition of gangsterism
Verb
  • He was accused of extorting private contractors for bribes between 2018 and 2021 in exchange for helping the companies keep and obtain work on school construction contracts.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In his report, Prescott said there is evidence substantiating the claim that Rodriguez-Mendez was extorting Guaranda.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of extorting
Noun
  • To spin total concoctions into something so riveting is — for better or worse — an admirable cinematic skill, one Hur uses to turn a tale of forensic malfeasance into mass entertainment of considerable quality.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The Kawhi Leonard deal, and the financial malfeasance that came with it, has crippled the franchise.
    — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of malfeasance
Verb
  • An announcement that is taking the blame game to great heights or lows, depending on your POV and who is blackmailing who — to paraphrase Bonta banger of earlier this week.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
  • In the past, models from OpenAI and other providers were theoretically shown to be capable of blackmailing users to prevent shutdowns.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 July 2026
Definition of blackmailing
Noun
  • President Joe Biden’s administration shows that attempts to turn the page on fascist criminality without imposing stiff legal consequences will only result in the far right coming back stronger and more radicalized.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Twenty-six arrests followed, then a national spotlight zoomed in on criminality and worklessness in the town.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminality
Verb
  • Playing that cat, a work camp warden coercing Hawke’s character into smuggling gold through the wilderness, is none other than Russell Crowe.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But in the past, these efforts were largely aimed at threatening or coercing Washington to act in their favor.
    — Dina Esfandiary, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of coercing
Noun
  • Meanwhile, the bureau of internal affairs has sustained findings of misconduct in another 463 inquiries, records show.
    — Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Pope’s lawsuit alleged city leaders interfered with his investigations into misconduct allegations involving the two deputy chiefs and Dustman.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of misconduct
Verb
  • The leader of the group, Lydell Henry, told our partners at the Baltimore Banner the fan group had so far raised $13,000 for his group, which teaches wresting and provides after-school support to low income youth.
    — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • French police rounded up thousands of Jews over two days in July 1942, wresting children from their mothers’ arms and dispatching everyone to Nazi death camps.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of wresting

Browse Nearby Words

racketeered
racketeering
racketeers
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Cite this Entry

“Racketeering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeering. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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