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
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as in to blackmail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of racketeer
Ira Trivedi, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2015
Parts of the city turned into wastelands of racketeers and alcoholics.
—Simon Shuster, TIME, 4 Jan. 2024
Spin Staff, SPIN, 31 Oct. 2024
Zoom in: Madigan is charged with 23 counts ranging from racketeering conspiracy to a host of other crimes.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for racketeer
Noun
She was arrested and charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act, usually reserved for drug racketeers and smugglers running large operations.
—Ira Trivedi, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2015
Parts of the city turned into wastelands of racketeers and alcoholics.
—Simon Shuster, TIME, 4 Jan. 2024
Verb
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
Zoom in: Madigan is charged with 23 counts ranging from racketeering conspiracy to a host of other crimes.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for racketeer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racketeer
Noun
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Polish media have also reported on his connections to gangsters and the world of prostitution.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 May 2025
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Historically speaking, a half-Mexican woman isn’t usually the first in line to write a story about a violently ambitious gangster, which is what excited me most about it.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
28 May 2025
Noun
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Summit, June 10 Image So Far Gone by Jess Walter Rhys Kinnick, a journalist and a recluse, is living off the grid in the woods near Spokane, Wash., when his grandchildren are kidnapped by thugs.—
Laura Thompson,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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Everything changes, however, when two thugs come to visit and promptly beat the ever-loving heck out of Hank at the front door.—
Emlyn Travis Published,
EW.com,
21 May 2025
Verb
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He should have been arrested right then and there for the FBI for trying to extort Natalie's mother.—
Audrey Conklin,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2025
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Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, then alleged in a legal filing that Lively was attempting to extort a statement of support from Swift.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Buried deep in the more than 1,000-page tax-and-spending bill that President Donald Trump is muscling through Congress is an obscure tax measure that’s setting off alarms on Wall Street and beyond.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
30 May 2025
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Freeman muscled it to center field for a two-run single.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Defense attorneys for the juvenile defendants, Matthew Niemiec and Mark Grier, said the suspects were coerced into the alleged crime.—
Audrey Conklin,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2025
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Scammers often ask for money or coerce their victims into performing harmful acts.—
Nicole Valdes,
CBS News,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Whether that’s a trial site, a community center or the patient’s workplace, this model removes friction from both ends: Participants aren’t forced to travel, and sponsors don’t have to wait for overwhelmed sites to come online.—
Sonali Bloom,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Despite Anna’s meticulous preparations, her intent to force confessions from the passengers and deliver them directly to authorities is immediately derailed when just hours into the trip one of her guests is murdered.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2025
Verb
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One member of the pack menaced him with a knife while another flashed a gun, before some of the youths held him down and stole a sneaker off the victim’s foot before running away, according to police.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2025
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The first night, the characters are menaced by a bald hulk in overalls, wearing a clown mask with the mouth area (including his teeth) smashed in.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Racketeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeer. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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