racketeers 1 of 2

noun

plural of racketeer
as in gangsters
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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racketeers

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of racketeer
as in extorts

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Dissimilar Words

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 racketeers
Noun
Of course, entrusting waste management to gangsters and racketeers has repercussions. — Literary Hub, 8 July 2026 The characters were based on a real family of bookmakers and racketeers who once lived in England. — Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 5 Mar. 2026 When Ferrara was starting out, private investment in low-budget films was spurred by tax loopholes, a way for doctors, dentists, and racketeers to get rid of extra cash that would otherwise wind up in Uncle Sam’s grubby mitts. — Nick Pinkerton, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racketeers
  1. gangsters
  2. blackmails
  3. thugs
  4. forces
  5. blackmailers
  6. muscles
  7. extortionists
  8. pressures
Noun
  • The Capone associates lined up six members of Moran's gang, and a seventh unaffiliated man who apparently liked hanging out with gangsters, against the north wall of the garage.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • For decades, Hollywood actor Danny Trejo’s bread and butter was playing gangsters, prison inmates and other assorted criminals.
    — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of gangsters
Verb
  • Tensions ratchet even higher when Gerry learns the truth and, now fully unhinged, blackmails Russ into throwing the game against Texas for a $200,000 bet.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The third ended by setting Deborah and Ava on a collision course after Ava blackmails Deborah into becoming head writer of her late-night show, only to render the fallout in cartoonishly broad terms.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Definition of blackmails
Noun
  • These low-level thugs typically are not believed to be formally aligned with Iran.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Saint played Edie Doyle, whose brother was murdered by thugs working for a mob boss running a longshoremen's union; her character becomes involved with Brando's pugilistic dockworker Terry Malloy.
    — David Morgan, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of thugs
Verb
  • This question forces founders out of product-speak and into real-world consequences.
    — Olivia Ludington, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • An unexpected turn of events forces him to choose between those ambitions and temptation that could change his future.
    — Essie Assibu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of forces
Noun
  • Despite paying off blackmailers and marrying Lady Olivia Hedges (Danielle Galligan) to protect his secret, Arthur still loses his father’s Parliament seat after getting caught committing election fraud.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Grandchildren are being summoned to help grandparents deal with blackmailers.
    — Yvonne Zipp, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of blackmailers
Verb
  • Panthers receiver Cataurus Hicks comes down with it and muscles his way forward in an attempt to get into the end zone.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
  • One year later, the XFL muscles its way onto the national sports scene with its first two games.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Definition of muscles
Noun
  • There still will be scammers, extortionists, extremists and others who try to take advantage of teens and adults.
    — Larry Magid, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • As bomb technicians struggled to disarm the explosive, the FBI raced against the clock to deliver the ransom while simultaneously hunting the extortionists.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of extortionists
Verb
  • Fundamentally, this problem stems from science’s publish-or-perish culture, which pressures academics to constantly publish papers in prestigious journals to secure funding and advance their careers.
    — Benjamin Skuse, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The majority of his night was spent scrambling from a Seahawks defense that pressures the quarterback at the third-highest rate in the league.
    — Sam McDowell October 25, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of pressures

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racketeers
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Cite this Entry

“Racketeers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeers. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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