mobster

IPA/ˈmɒbstə(r)/
KK[mˈɑbstɚ]IPA/ˈmɑːbstər/

mobster — noun

  • mobstersingular
  • mobstersplural

1. a criminal, usually a man, who belongs to a mafia-style gang and makes money fro

1.nounB2
Definition

a criminal, usually a man, who belongs to a mafia-style gang and makes money from illegal activities, often using threats or violence

Example

Asher saw two mobsters collecting cash from the club owner.

mobster + collect cash from a business

The movie shows a mobster ordering men to guard the back door.

mobster + order men to do something

Common collocations
  • local mobster
  • aging mobster
  • mobster boss
  • mobster film
  • mobster family
Synonyms
  • gangster

    the closest everyday synonym; can be slightly broader and less tied to Mafia-style groups

  • mafioso

    more specific to the Italian Mafia or a similar organization

  • racketeer

    emphasizes making money through organized illegal business

  • criminal

    much broader; does not imply gang membership or organized crime

Usage Note

Usually used for members of mafia-style groups involved in illegal business, protection money, or violent control. It is more specific than criminal or gangster because it suggests organized group activity rather than a single crime.

Common Mistakes

The mobster stole my umbrella from the cafe.
The thief stole my umbrella from the cafe.
'mobster' suggests organized crime, not an ordinary act of stealing.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Mobster and gangster are close, but mobster more strongly suggests organized crime, especially American Mafia-style groups that control businesses, collect protection money, or use violence to keep power. Gangster is a broader everyday word for a member of a violent criminal gang. Mafioso is narrower still: it points to a member of the Mafia or a group clearly modeled on it. Racketeer focuses on the illegal business side, such as gambling, extortion, or other money-making schemes. Criminal is the broad umbrella term for anyone who breaks the law, so it is much less specific. You might say 'The mobster threatened the shop owner for weekly cash,' but 'The criminal was arrested for tax fraud' when gang ties are not important.

gangster ↗mafiosoracketeercriminal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • local mobster
  • retired mobster

Etymology

LatinEnglishAmerican English

Mobster is a twentieth-century American English word built from mob and the suffix -ster. Mob was originally shortened from the Latin phrase 'mobile vulgus', meaning 'fickle crowd', and later came to mean a criminal gang in American English. Adding -ster created a noun for a person who belongs to that kind of criminal group.