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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of racketeers
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
Noun
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
Noun
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Neither immigrant family should be linked to violent gangsters, of course.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
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One of the most innovative gangsters of the 20th century, Frank Lucas earned the title of Harlem drug kingpin in the late-‘60s and early-‘70s by importing high-quality heroin from Southeast Asia and selling it under the street name Blue Magic.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Verb
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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
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Their antagonism peaked at the end of Season 3, when Deborah achieves her dream of landing a late-night chair and Ava blackmails her way into the head-writer job.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
Noun
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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
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People have committed suicide because a bunch of thugs went after them.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Soccer forces a humanoid robot to deal with movement, balance and split-second changes.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
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The question is whether the country will modernize these systems before the next failure forces its hand.—
Gregg Herrin,
Fortune,
13 June 2026
Noun
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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
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Grandchildren are being summoned to help grandparents deal with blackmailers.—
Yvonne Zipp,
Christian Science Monitor,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Gringo Films does not sound like the kind of company that muscles its way into the global animation business.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As the bomb squad works to disarm it, FBI rushes to catch the extortionists.—
William Earl,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
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These kinds of sweeping outages are typically the result either of ransomware attacks, where online extortionists paralyse corporate networks in the hope of payment, or deliberate sabotage.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The subpoena effectively pressures the state’s three professional football teams — Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — not to apply the league’s diversity hiring practices for top jobs.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
13 May 2026
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This then pressures the Federal Reserve to finance the debt through monetary expansion, which causes inflation and drives up interest rates.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Racketeers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeers. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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