Standard Lemma guide

bankster

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbæŋkstə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈbæŋkstɚ/ without æ-raising
  • /ˈbeɪ̯ŋkstɚ/ æ-raising
  • /ˈbɛ̃ŋkstɚ/ æ-raising

1

noun

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

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.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: bankster — Translations
  • German: Bankster — Translations
  • Polish: bankster — Translations