hooligan

noun

hoo·li·gan | \ ˈhü-li-gən

How to pronounce hooligan (audio)

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Definition of hooligan

: ruffian, hoodlum

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Examples of hooligan in a Sentence

The windows were broken by a gang of teenage hooligans. shouldn't you hooligans be in school instead of threatening old ladies?

Recent Examples on the Web

There's another group of hooligans who step into their bra like a skirt and pull it all the way up to their boobs. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "Twitter is in a Bloody Battle Over the Right Way to Put on a Bra," 28 Mar. 2019 That seems to have prevented repeats of Thursday night's attack on Liverpool fans at a restaurant — apparently by Ukrainian hooligans — which left two injured. — Fox News, "The Latest: Kiev subway evacuated after hoax threat," 26 May 2018 Credit for this goes in no small measure to the show's phenomenal leads, Ricamora, whose sumptuous voice could charm hooligans at a Trump rally, and Louis, whose portrayal of Hillary balances fearless comedy with tender pathos. — Charles Mcnulty, latimes.com, "'Soft Power' at the Ahmanson: Big, bold, overly complicated and spectacularly unique," 17 May 2018 Cohen played a soccer hooligan who finds out his brother is an assassin. — Kathleen Joyce, Fox News, "Sacha Baron Cohen's controversies: From 'Borat' lawsuits to box office flops," 7 Aug. 2018 Given the problems caused by Russian hooligans at the Union of European Football Associations championships in 2016, Arnold and Veth argue that hooligan violence is sure to be a prominent issue at this summer’s tournament. — Richard Arnold, Washington Post, "Russia is hosting this year’s World Cup. What could go wrong?," 14 June 2018 That is the issue that gave rise to the right-wing Alternative, plus assorted hooligans decked out in Nazi regalia like their kin in the U.S. There is no such overload today. — Josef Joffe, WSJ, "Is Germany Slouching Toward Weimar Again?," 23 Sep. 2018 England supporters have traveled to the tournament in far fewer numbers than in the past, perhaps due to pre-tournament fears over clashes with Russian hooligans. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "England fan vandalizes cherished statue in Moscow," 3 July 2018 Apparently, some Russian soccer hooligans are being kept at bay. — New York Times, "Russia Wants to Play Nice With Foreigners. Just Not Too Nice.," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hooligan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

22 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for hooligan

The first known use of hooligan was in 1896

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More Definitions for hooligan

hooligan

noun

English Language Learners Definition of hooligan

: a usually young man who does noisy and violent things as part of a group or gang

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