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
John Dillinger American gangster John Dillinger was born in Indianapolis in June 1903.
—
Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
McLusky, however, isn’t interested in meeting new gangsters or unknown criminals in his town.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Newspapers reported that Doyle died because of a disagreement with Russian gangsters.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
The Tunnels story is that Chinese immigrants built a network of tunnels under the city because they were forced to live underground; the tunnels were then used by gangsters and bootleggers, including Al Capone.
—JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangster
Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
McLusky, however, isn’t interested in meeting new gangsters or unknown criminals in his town.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
Newspapers reported that Doyle died because of a disagreement with Russian gangsters.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
The Tunnels story is that Chinese immigrants built a network of tunnels under the city because they were forced to live underground; the tunnels were then used by gangsters and bootleggers, including Al Capone.
—JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangster
Noun
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This haunting film was also his first collaboration with Hellboy’s Ron Perlman, who plays a thug out to get the beetle for his rich uncle.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
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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
Noun
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To suggest that another candidate’s supporters are criminals — particularly when that candidate is, by all measures, poised to win at least a plurality of votes in the city — does not seem like a recipe for earning New Yorkers’ support.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Binance also lacked protocols — standard for financial services companies — to report transactions for money laundering risks, according to the Justice Department, and employees were well aware that such an oversight would invite criminals to the platform.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Yet if the Dodgers are to be cast as villains from the Book of Samuel, Toronto brought to the fight far more than pebbles.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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The family moved to Hollywood 10 years later, and Gene Lockhart worked steadily as a character actor, usually in avuncular roles, sometimes as a villain.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In classical antiquity, the mountainous region was notorious for bandits; in modern times, blood feuds among clans were rife.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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Shortly after the museum opened on Sunday morning, two bandits used a lift on a truck to break into its Galerie d'Apollon, which houses the French crown jewels and other treasures, through a second-floor window.—
NPR,
NPR,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Up until then, slashers were silent assassins or a breather.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Nov. 2025
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Well, that, and the small matter of a conspiracy involving the Ministry of Defense, a neighboring assassin, and a young girl who may or may not be dead.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The mobsters are accused of pocketing some of the $7 million that was fleeced from unsuspecting victims who were drawn to poker tables in Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan and Long Island’s seaside playground for the rich and famous.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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Notable inmates once held at the jail include Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, civil rights leader Malcolm X and mobster Whitey Bulger, according to records.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangster. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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