racketeer

[rak-i-teer]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR racketeer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person engaged in a racket.

verb (used without object)

to engage in a racket.

Origin of racketeer

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; racket¹ + -eer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for racketeer

mobster, extortionist, gangster, criminal, shark, hood

Examples from the Web for racketeer

Contemporary Examples of racketeer

Mr. Duffy, it happened, was Big Bill Duffy, a jolly henchman of Owney Madden, the racketeer.
Portrait of the Consummate Con Man
John Lardner
May 17, 2014
He could, however, be a racketeer specializing in bookmaking, gambling, drug dealing, and assorted other crime.
Whitey Bulger Trial Kicks Off in Boston
T.J. English
June 13, 2013

Historical Examples of racketeer

He was a raider, a racketeer, not a leader of purposeful men.
Black Man's Burden
Dallas McCord Reynolds
Her racketeer sweetie has a long arm, however, and Nita gets hers.
Murder at Bridge
Anne Austin

British Dictionary definitions for racketeer

racketeer

noun

a person engaged in illegal enterprises for profit

verb

(intr) to operate a racket

Derived Formsracketeering, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for racketeer

1928 (noun and verb), from racket (n.1) + -eer. Related: Racketeering (1928).