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
White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.
—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Cabello, once Maduro's chief thug, can now be seen sitting across from high level Trump officials in meetings discussing business deals.
—
Margaret Brennan,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for thug
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Cabello, once Maduro's chief thug, can now be seen sitting across from high level Trump officials in meetings discussing business deals.
—
Margaret Brennan,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for thug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thug
Noun
-
Neither immigrant family should be linked to violent gangsters, of course.
-
By telling a relatively straightforward story that blends real people from the era of the Gotti Mafia family with imagined characters, Martin Scorsese's dramedy biopic about a kid who falls in love with the gangster life is as even-keeled as anything the director has made.
Noun
-
This makes your accounts much harder to break into, even if a criminal gets control of your phone number.
-
And historically, denaturalization has been reserved for the most egregious offenders, such as human rights abusers and violent criminals.
Noun
-
The immigrant-threat frame offers a quicker villain and a simpler solution to persistent social problems such as violent crime.
-
The new production will follow Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo from their comic book origins to becoming global pop culture icons, battling familiar villains along the way.
Noun
-
The report’s key finding was that an odd, angry, 24-year-old assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, had acted alone, for reasons nobody could quite figure out.
-
Unfortunately, Daemon’s hired assassins killed Aegon’s young son Jaehaerys instead so any real possibility for a family reconciliation was lost.
Noun
-
The tree is said to have sheltered Robin Hood, the legendary 13th-century bandit who stole from the rich and gave to the poor and took refuge in the forest when being pursued by the sheriff of Nottingham.
-
The tree is said to have sheltered Robin Hood, the legendary 13th-century bandit who stole from the rich and gave to the poor and took refuge in the forest when being pursued by the sheriff of Nottingham.
Noun
-
Unlike some other luggage tags, this option only displays your name, keeping the rest of your information shielded from curious onlookers and potential thieves.
-
Last year, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that thieves had pried off a bronze plaque dedicating the building to the history of philadelphia from its main entrance.
Noun
-
In the past decade, the leadership of the Kinahan organization has become rich and cosmopolitan, and their life styles have started to resemble those of international businessmen more than of street hoodlums.
-
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.
Noun
-
There's even some sympathy for the vengeful pirate character.
-
Tyland may have gotten Triarchy pirate Admiral Sharako Lohar on Team Green’s side, but at his core this man is a coward.
Cite this Entry
“Thug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thug. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
