as in gangster
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the Mob boss regularly sent his thugs after people who were slow to pay their debts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of thug
But the word thug as a term for rogues and thieves lived on in English.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
No government masked thugs shooting down our neighbors in the streets.
—Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Mar. 2026
Suddenly Odin gets a call telling him Korps leader Attila (Eili Harboe) and her thugs are on their way to finish the job.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
The new Homeland Security person needs to unmask the thugs causing harm to families and innocent children.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for thug
Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
No government masked thugs shooting down our neighbors in the streets.
—Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Mar. 2026
Suddenly Odin gets a call telling him Korps leader Attila (Eili Harboe) and her thugs are on their way to finish the job.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
The new Homeland Security person needs to unmask the thugs causing harm to families and innocent children.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for thug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thug
Noun
-
Centered on the filmmaker’s brother, a Chinese gangster living in Spain, the debut feature offers a rare immersion into a world more frequently explored through fiction than documentary.—
Lise Pedersen,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
-
McKenzie, a former gangster who spent seven years in prison, was once a spinner and his ministry has promoted the sport in recent years.—
Semafor Staff,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Many of the toughest criminals taken into ICE custody were already in prison, but many others who were arrested have no criminal history.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In the furthest part of space lies Dante 01, a detention facility that houses criminals who have committed the most shocking crimes imaginable.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In its earlier days, The Boys might have done something with how Nanjiani’s Eternals and Rogen’s The Green Hornet both underperformed, and the Kick-Ass movies in which Mintz-Plasse played a villain left little cultural footprint.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Most of his videos, filmed in a local studio or sometimes on the streets of Charlotte, are high-quality shorts showing him in throes of battle with classic villains like Killer Croc or Bane.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And why was the would-be assassin’s body cremated so quickly without an autopsy?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Caine’s movie comes after Ana de Armas starred in last year’s Ballerina, the first non-Wick standalone title in the franchise, about a young Ruska Roma assassin seeking vengeance for her father.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Fleeing into the desert with her father, she is hunted by a merciless army and forced to trust a legendary bandit (Mackie) with secrets of his own.—
Mark Meszoros,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Bush and Prime Minister John Major were thick as thieves.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Investigators noted that shortly before the robbery, the guard opened a door against policy — one that faced the area where the thieves were later seen waiting — a move investigators considered highly unusual and suspicious.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Knesset recently legalized the death penalty for Arabs who murder Jews, but not for the hoodlum Israeli settlers who have been killing West Bank residents to seize their land.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The first pictures McCullin took were of hoodlums and down-and-outs, subjects that reflected his own hardscrabble background.—
Andrew Pulver,
Air Mail,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
The Straw Hats aren’t alone in their search, with appearances by Buggy and another potential surprise as audiences watch their favorite band of pirates fight off threats on their latest adventure.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thug. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
