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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of racketeer
Time, 25 July 2023
Stephanie was cunning—even ruthless—and a notorious racketeer.
—The New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2023
Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024
In 1994, Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding’s ex-husband, pleaded guilty in Portland, Oregon, to racketeering for his part in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in exchange for a 24-month sentence and a $100,000 fine.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for racketeer
Noun
As revealed in previously undisclosed FBI files, Manton fraternized with racketeers and accepted large loans and gifts from such unsavory sources.
—Time, 25 July 2023
Stephanie was cunning—even ruthless—and a notorious racketeer.
—The New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2023
Verb
Zoom in: Madigan is charged with 23 counts ranging from racketeering conspiracy to a host of other crimes.
—Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024
In 1994, Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding’s ex-husband, pleaded guilty in Portland, Oregon, to racketeering for his part in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in exchange for a 24-month sentence and a $100,000 fine.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for racketeer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racketeer
Noun
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In her ethnographic study of Jamaican gangs, Jaffe argues against seeing the neighborhood strongmen—or dons—as primarily violent, exploitative gangsters.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
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Lives are literally on the line in Vivian Qu’s genre hybrid Girls on Wire, a surprisingly gritty study of people left behind or living in the margins that fuses gangster realism with social drama and leavens both with a dash of unexpected humor.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The 20th-century Yellowstone Dutton Ranch is under siege from a greedy developer (James Bond star Timothy Dalton) and his thugs in the new season.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
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But authorities now believe the most heinous acts were the handiwork of a one-time nursing student from Puerto Rico who evolved over a decade from teenage burglar to drug trafficker to rampaging thug.—
Martin E. Comas,
Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
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More recently, she was accused of trying to extort $25,000 from a longtime political opponent her office later charged with a felony.—
Nate Gartrell,
The Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2025
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Mayers didn’t testify in his own defense, but his lawyer Joe Tacopina subjected Ephron to a bruising cross-examination that accused him of fabricating the shell casing evidence to try to extort his wealthy friend with a $30 million lawsuit.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But Grimes muscled his way inside and Yabusele nailed his fifth 3 of the game to give Philadelphia a two-possession lead.—
Danny Emerman,
The Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2025
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The problem is that any successful non-native species will attempt to muscle out a native species that already fills the same niche.—
Alan Clemons,
Outdoor Life,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Trump’s rocky relationship with Zelensky goes back five years—to when Trump first held up military assistance Congress had authorized for Ukraine to coerce Zelensky into investigating his political rival Joe Biden.—
Brian Bennett,
TIME,
5 Mar. 2025
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A week later, the White House used the threat of tariffs to coerce Mexico into dispatching thousands of additional troops along the U.S.-Mexico border to combat fentanyl smuggling.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Tracking the Trump administration’s rollback of climate and environmental policies can seem like being forced through a wormhole back in time.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
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However, much to her dismay, she was then forced to treat Damien amid the chaos at the hospital as the heat dome in Seattle continued.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Brush, by Eliana Hernández-Pachón, translated by Robin Myers The Brush is a book-length poem about people trapped and menaced by forces beyond their control.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
4 Dec. 2024
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But, in a shift, countries that have been close trading partners of the United States also saw their economies menaced.—
Annie Correal,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to racketeer
Cite this Entry
“Racketeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeer. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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