hooligan
noun
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Synonyms for hooligan
Synonyms
bully, gangbanger, gangsta, gangster, goon, gorilla, hood, hoodlum, mobster, mug, plug-ugly, punk, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, thug, tough, toughie (also toughy), yob [British], yobbo [British]
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Examples of hooligan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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 There’s been next to no conversation here in Russia about club rifts, WAGs, hooligans or other England tournament traditions that have been so damaging or distracting in the past. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "England's New Three Lions Appear to Be a Different Animal at This World Cup," 24 June 2018 Although fears of violence by far-right hooligans proved mostly unfounded during the World Cup, many activists believe such groups will simply reemerge once the global spotlight dims. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "Russia’s World Cup dream ends, on and off the field," 9 July 2018These 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
28 Jan 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
See the full definition for hooligan in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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