as in gangster
a person who gets money from another by using force or threats
tortured by a gang of extortionists into revealing the combination for the money vault
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extortionist
Noun
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An hour ago, the stocky British actor best known on these shores for playing tough guys and gangsters was on a morning talk show, after having chatted with Jimmy Fallon the previous evening.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
22 Mar. 2025 -
Dealing with the fractious relationship between gangsters and former friends Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, the film strains for an epic quality that the filmmaking doesn’t support.—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Jesse, understandably, has become more defensive about antisemitism since he was brutally attacked by thugs who singled him out for being Jewish.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2025
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The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In the other corner: Vito Genovese, Costello’s childhood friend and fellow racketeer, who had to leave town long ago because of a thing, and has now come home to resume his place in the Mafia hierarchy.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 Mar. 2025
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Oh yeah, this relationship with this 38-year-old racketeer is so beautiful.—
Michael Cuby,
Them,
1 Aug. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Extortionist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extortionist. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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