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What is the history of the word gangster?
Gangster came into the English language at the latter portion of the 19th century, as one of what is now a large parcel of words which have been formed by adding the noun combining form –ster to an existing word. The ending -ster has a number of possible meanings (“one that does, handles, or operates,” “one that makes or uses,” “one that is associated with or participates in,” “one that is”), and one of its interesting elements is that it has, in many cases, shifted its gender. This second portion of gangster comes from the Old English -estre, meaning “female agent.” The word tapster ("a bartender"), for instance, was tæppestre in Old English, and designated a barmaid, or female tapster. In modern use the addition of -ster may often be found in a gender-neutral sense, as with hipster, or with implications of masculinity, as with gangster and mobster, through prevalence of usage.
Examples of gangster in a Sentence
Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 20 June 2025
Creature With the Atom Brain sees a gangster force a German scientist to reanimate the dead with atomic radiation in order to pull off crimes (recalling both Frankenstein and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, films that fit neatly alongside the zombie genre).
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 18 June 2025
Stunt men returned the favor: when the Chicago mob tried to muscle in on the guild, SAG president Robert Montgomery, who served from 1935 to 1938, stood firm against the gangsters.
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 14 June 2025
Based on real-life events, Barry Levinson's gangster drama casts De Niro as former best friends turned rivals Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, where a violent betrayal leads to an undoing of the New York underworld.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangster
Cite this Entry
“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangster. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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