as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
Al Capone remains one of the most notorious gangsters in American history
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Recent Examples of gangsters
Theater owners cut prices and dispensed prizes to ticket buyers as the gangsters effectively cross-pollinated with the studio dance numbers.
—
Peter Bart, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026
Violent gangsters ran fentanyl and human smuggling over the Rio Grande.
—Ioan Grillo, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
They get captured by Hungarian gangsters and have to fight (and kill) their way out of an inn run by a shady former dance prodigy (Uma Thurman).
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Once housing notorious gangsters such as Al Capone, the notorious Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closed its doors to prisoners in 1963, since becoming a museum.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 3 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors used details from the home takeover to argue for a lengthy prison term, describing how Serrano and other gangsters took advantage of an 84-year-old woman who had dementia.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
American gangsters ran the hotels and the gambling.
—Joseph J. Gonzalez, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
Kelly spends the first half of his book running through a who’s who of the New England underworld, gangsters and mob wannabes who likely came into contact with the art before the investigation reached Maine and Gentile.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
All of this follows a long tradition in filmmaking that extends back to early Soviet films through Italian neorealist projects through Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, which featured some real gangsters.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Peter Bart, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026
Violent gangsters ran fentanyl and human smuggling over the Rio Grande.
—Ioan Grillo, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
They get captured by Hungarian gangsters and have to fight (and kill) their way out of an inn run by a shady former dance prodigy (Uma Thurman).
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Once housing notorious gangsters such as Al Capone, the notorious Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closed its doors to prisoners in 1963, since becoming a museum.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 3 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors used details from the home takeover to argue for a lengthy prison term, describing how Serrano and other gangsters took advantage of an 84-year-old woman who had dementia.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
American gangsters ran the hotels and the gambling.
—Joseph J. Gonzalez, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
Kelly spends the first half of his book running through a who’s who of the New England underworld, gangsters and mob wannabes who likely came into contact with the art before the investigation reached Maine and Gentile.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
All of this follows a long tradition in filmmaking that extends back to early Soviet films through Italian neorealist projects through Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, which featured some real gangsters.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangsters
Noun
-
He’s beaten by thugs with a crowbar for an unfortunate outburst, exploited by neighbors in the council estate and arrested, all because people don’t understand Tourette syndrome.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Mayor vows to catch 'thugs who did this' Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards promised that law enforcement will catch the people responsible for the violence at the mall.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Lamont and other Democrats said the raises were well deserved because the state needs to recruit workers for difficult jobs that include prison guards dealing with dangerous criminals and social workers dealing with troubled families in the state Department of Children and Families.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
-
And too often, these criminals stay one step ahead of law enforcement.—
Chris Spear,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One person in Atlanta has appeared in his videos as Batman villains, for free, dressed in homemade costumes that look like they were ripped straight from the television or movies.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Her character joined several others who faced the wrath of Homelander and other villains.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The movie is understood to follow a sheriff and a doctor who seek revenge against a group of bandits who use the cover of a torrential thunderstorm to rob and terrorize the occupants of a small town.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
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On Derby Day in 1923, four masked bandits raided the hotel poker room, escaping into the crowds with what would now amount to a small fortune.—
Hillary Richard,
Robb Report,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Riquelme Vega, a Chilean Dutch cocaine importer also in the Super Cartel, wanted to murder a rival in Dubai by sending a team of Colombian assassins to the Emirates, Kinahan voiced his disapproval.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Confronting her ends in violence, drawing Reacher into a web of secrets involving the Pentagon, political assassins and a powerful woman with ties to the military.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Puntland official said nine pirates boarded and took control of the vessel.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
States that refused to negotiate or did not meet the obligations of the agreements are often branded as pirates and accused of supporting counterfeiting and theft.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The indictment presents a detailed and devastating narrative of how, for years, officials in Sinaloa have allegedly worked hand in hand with mobsters, enriching themselves and allowing the gang to operate with seeming impunity.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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But the Shedd outlasted the mobsters and Lord knows what else in its home city’s colorful history and now is trying to raise $500 million over eight years in honor of its pending 100th anniversary in 2030.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gangsters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangsters. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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