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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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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The bag has lots of money in it, the stranger is a violent gangster and Mady is soon on the run himself with a whole gang of bad guys after him.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
18 Jan. 2025
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The selection continues its genre focus with the Norwegian body horror The Ugly Stepsister, Turkish political thriller Confidante, and Taiwanese gangster narrative Silent Sparks.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Although the new government seems willing to listen to Alawite concerns, there’s a lingering resentment, with many pointing to the community’s complicity in torture and war crimes — whether in the security services or gangs of thugs known as the shabiha — over the 14 years of the conflict.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
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There was a time, not long ago, when men who lifted weights for fun were seen as either thugs or narcissists.—
Danielle Friedman,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Chiquita Brands said that it had been extorted by the paramilitary group and forced to make payments to protect its Colombian employees.—
Maria Abi-Habib,
New York Times,
22 Jan. 2025
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Jackson, whose prodigious feats as a Los Angeles Raiders running back and a Major League outfielder in the late 1980s and early ‘90s put him in the conversation as the best athlete, alleged that Thomas Lee Anderson and Erica M. Anderson harassed and tried to extort $20 million from him.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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On 4th-and-1 from the Chargers’ 17, Joe Mixon took a handoff and and muscled through a couple Los Angeles defenders for a touchdown.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC News,
12 Jan. 2025
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These Gators pack a considerable punch, with Clayton and Martin as high-volume perimeter shooters and a cadre of elite rebounders muscling this team to second in the country in rebounds per game.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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But a divided panel of appeals court judges said the parents hadn’t shown that they or their children had been coerced to believe or act contrary to their religious views.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA TODAY,
17 Jan. 2025
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In early 2018, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled that Samuels had coerced McCool into letting the deputy sheriff search his apartment and vacated the convictions.—
Jonathan Shorman,
Kansas City Star,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
18 Jan. 2025
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Expect ample debates over social media moderation and the future of TikTok after the Supreme Court on Friday backed a law forcing the app’s owner, ByteDance, to sell it to a non-Chinese owner or face a ban in the United States.—
Lauren Hirsch,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
Verb
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According to the filing, around 15-20 people armed with rifles and handguns kidnapped the pair on Dec. 16 and took them to a vacant apartment where they were tied up, questioned, robbed, assaulted and menaced.—
Seth Klamann,
The Denver Post,
10 Jan. 2025
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At least five people have died, roughly 1,000 structures have been destroyed and tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate as multiple fires menace the L.A. area and encroach on its suburbs.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Racketeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racketeer. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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