as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the argument that the DEA needs to focus more on the kingpins of the drug trade and less on the gangbangers in the street
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 gangbangers
The video, which was played for Lefkow on Tuesday, showed an unidentified man standing out at 26th Street and Spauling Avenue asking where all the gangbangers were.
—
Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Murdered within about six months of each other at the height of their fame in the 1990s, their deaths spawned conspiracy theories of hitmen, coverups and cops on gangbangers’ payrolls.
—Veronica Bravo, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
This is quite the new phenomenon for all the gangbangers, fentanyl dealers, girlfriend-beaters, drunk drivers and pedophiles — going to church.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Murdered within about six months of each other at the height of their fame in the 1990s, their deaths spawned conspiracy theories of hitmen, coverups and cops on gangbangers’ payrolls.
—Veronica Bravo, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
This is quite the new phenomenon for all the gangbangers, fentanyl dealers, girlfriend-beaters, drunk drivers and pedophiles — going to church.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangbangers
Noun
-
Minnesotans, not the armed thugs of ICE and the Border Patrol, are brave.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Actively inserting yourself into and attempting to stymie federal law enforcement or barging into a church, as some of these thugs did in Minneapolis, is hindering law enforcement and trespassing, respectively.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Immigration and Integration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said 315 foreign criminals from countries outside the European Union had received sentences of more than a year over the last five years but were not expelled.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Top police brass nationwide rarely criticize their federal partners, relying on collaboration to investigate gangs, extremist groups and other major criminals — while also counting on millions in funding from Washington each year.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There may have been some male suitors but never any who were gangsters.—
Nathan Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
He was freed on supervised release in May 2020, but quickly broke that pledge, chowing down with his fellow Colombo gangsters at the legendary Brennan and Carr restaurant that November to discuss the crime family’s future, and their labor union shakedown scheme.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In the end, Al-Sufyani drove off the bandits, who only managed to grab two small packages.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
-
The authentic Denver and Rio Grande train that has operated at Knott’s since 1952 boasts the highest crime rate in all of Orange County with the notorious Ghost Town bandits robbing every departure from the Calico Square depot.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Barraza, who was a member of the 501st Legion, a fan group that painstakingly re-creates Star Wars villains' costumes, already had her new suitcases packed — which resembled the ones Harry Potter took with him to Hogwarts.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Their goal is to end stereotypes by showing Latinos can authentically play any role—heroes, complex villains, or leaders.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Based on the novel by Stephen King, The Running Man is a dystopian sci-fi movie about a reality TV show where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
In the first season of action thriller A Shop For Killers, Kim Hye-jun starred as Jeong Ji-an, a college student who must fight off a bevy of highly skilled assassins while trying to get to the bottom of her uncle’s death.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gangbangers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangbangers. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
