Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bankster

/ˈbæŋkstɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.48 in modern English

Syllables: bank-ster
IPA: /ˈbæŋkstɚ/

14

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A banker who is seen as criminally irresponsible, or as extorting bailout money from the taxpayers.

Derogatory; Informal

Example Sentences

"Stop supporting bums abroad. Stop all foreign aid, which is aid to banksters and their bonds and their export industries."
"Hearing Sir Fred the Shred and the rest of them utter some hedged half-apologies has not made the public feel any warmer to the banksters."

Etymology

Blend of banker + gangster. Popularized in the Pecora Commission (1932–1934) that investigated the causes of the Wall Street crash of 1929. The term was later used by Léon Degrelle, Belgian fascist politician and journalist, in 1937 as a pejorative term for high financiers.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbæŋkstɚ/
British English: /ˈbæŋkstə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

banksters (plural)

Derived Forms

banksterism

Questions

How do you pronounce bankster?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbæŋkstɚ/.
What does bankster mean?: A banker who is seen as criminally irresponsible, or as extorting bailout money from the taxpayers.
Where does bankster come from?: Blend of banker + gangster. Popularized in the Pecora Commission (1932–1934) that investigated the causes of the Wall Street crash of 1929. The term was later used by Léon Degrelle, Belgian fascist politician and journalist, in 1937 as a pejorative term for high financiers.

How to pronounce bankster

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bankster”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbæŋkstɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bankster”.
Repeat and practice — Say “bankster” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.