racketeer

R1A1C3K5E1T1E1E1R1
/ˌɹækɪˈtɪə(ɹ)/

noun

One who commits crimes (especially fraud, bribery, loan sharking, extortion etc.) to aid in running a shady or illegal business.

UncommonScrabble 15
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Meanings

nounracketeer (plural racketeers)

plural racketeers

  1. One who commits crimes (especially fraud, bribery, loan sharking, extortion etc.) to aid in running a shady or illegal business.
  2. One who instigates or has involvement with a racket.
verbracketeer (third-person singular simple present racketeers, present participle racketeering, simple past and past participle racketeered)

present singular third person racketeers · participle present racketeering · participle past racketeered · past racketeered

  1. to carry out illegal business activities or criminal schemes.
  2. to commit crimes systematically as part of a criminal organization.

Origin

From racket + -eer.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian рекетьор
  • рекетьор (reketjor)criminal
French racketteur
  • racketteurcriminal
German Gauner, Verbrecher
  • Gaunercriminal
  • Verbrechercriminal
  • Gangstercriminal
  • Banditcriminal
Italian criminale, malavitoso
  • criminalecriminal
  • malavitosocriminal
Russian рэкети́р, вымога́тель
  • рэкети́р (rɛketír)criminal
  • вымога́тель (vymogátelʹ)criminal
  • жу́лик (žúlik)criminal
  • моше́нник (mošénnik)criminal
  • банди́т (bandít)criminal
Tagalog raketir
  • raketircriminal

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with racketeer

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All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

racketeer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/racketeer

MLA

“racketeer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/racketeer. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “racketeer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/racketeer.

Source: racketeer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.