as in thug
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gangster
In those times, young people who self-described as gangsters fought for territory, and one of their subversive acts was to tag the walls of the city with the verses of cumbia songs.
—
Karla Gachet, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
In the film, Pacino plays Big Boy Caprice, a gangster said to be loosely based on Al Capone.
—Abby Stern, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Caldovino plays New York City gangster Goodie in season 3 of Tulsa King, jumping from a recurring player to a series regular.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Now is the time to push back in defense of free speech – as strongly and as publicly as the gangsters on the left and right are threatening to revoke it.
—Onkar Ghate, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangster
Karla Gachet, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
In the film, Pacino plays Big Boy Caprice, a gangster said to be loosely based on Al Capone.
—Abby Stern, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Caldovino plays New York City gangster Goodie in season 3 of Tulsa King, jumping from a recurring player to a series regular.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Now is the time to push back in defense of free speech – as strongly and as publicly as the gangsters on the left and right are threatening to revoke it.
—Onkar Ghate, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangster
Noun
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In The Big Lebowski, thugs mistake the titular slacker (Bridges) for the wealthy Jeffrey Lebowski, sending him on a wild investigation with his pal Walter (John Goodman) into a ransom plot involving Lebowski’s young wife (Tara Reid).—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
8 Oct. 2025
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Girls were there and there were guys that were really extra on some thug, some goon sh*t.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Flock Safety argues its drone system can act as a deterrent simply by being visible, making criminals think twice before targeting a store.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
11 Oct. 2025
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So those drums can fall into the hands of criminals who then refill them with the cheaper, toxic liquids and pass them off as the pharmaceutical-grade product, selling them to drug manufacturers who are looking to save money on ingredients.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The cast also includes Eugene Byrd as a young version of classic Spider-Man villain Tombstone, Hugh Dancy as Otto Octavius, MCU star Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Kari Wahlgren as Aunt May, Aleks Le as Amadeus Cho and Jonathan Medina as the villainous Scorpion.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
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The tournaments pit heroes like Liu Kang, Raiden, and Sonya Blade against such villains as Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, and Scorpion.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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So there's always a chance that Tatum's red-eyed bandit could be making a lot more appearances in the future!—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
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What a perfect opportunity for the island’s shoe bandit to strike again!—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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By the end, only one of the assassins is alive; Brian ties him to a tree and slaps him around a bit, demanding to know who hired him.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
10 Oct. 2025
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This isn’t a professional assassin.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The illusion of Jake’s seemingly idyllic life is shattered by the return of his chaotic older brother Vince (Jason Bateman), who had fled the state years earlier to avoid repaying a hefty debt to menacing mobster Joe Mancuso (Troy Kotsur).—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
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The police chief is in bed with mobsters.—
Zephyr Teachout,
The Atlantic,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangster. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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