1
as in teams
a group of people working together on a task
a gang of neighborhood residents spent the weekend cleaning up the park
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in cliques
a group of people sharing a common interest and relating together socially
the whole gang went out for pizza the school's computer hackers had their own little gang
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in Mafias
a group involved in secret or criminal activities
politicians promising to stop the growth of inner-city gangs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gangs
Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Cedre said Porter’s father was heavily involved with Compton gangs, but his mother worked tirelessly to help her son avoid that lifestyle — only for his life to end in gunfire anyway.
—Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Shortly afterward, armed gangs attacked the nearby city of Mirebalais, which remains under gang control.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security and Bovino himself have held the case up as a prime example of the violence that immigration officials were facing, including death threats allegedly coming from street gangs and even international cartels.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Unlike local gangs, however, these groups maintain articulated political agendas, even if those agendas remain largely oriented toward Colombia.
—Rebecca Hanson, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
Venezuela’s government launched a far-reaching crackdown after Maduro’s ouster, detaining journalists and civilians and sending armed gangs to the streets.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2026
Leading protagonist McLusky has taken on the Russian mob, Aryan Brotherhood gangs and Columbian drug dealers, but Frank Moses is a smoother and more calculating criminal.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 2026
An IndyStar investigation, which is based on interviews with four dozen people, including current and former inmates, their families and former employees, found Miami Correctional is constantly beset by violence fueled by gangs and drugs.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
By 2001 coyotes were so much in the news in the Windy City that in that year Chicago homeowners listed them—not street gangs, not burglars, but coyotes—as the single greatest threat to their safety.
—Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
Cedre said Porter’s father was heavily involved with Compton gangs, but his mother worked tirelessly to help her son avoid that lifestyle — only for his life to end in gunfire anyway.
—Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Shortly afterward, armed gangs attacked the nearby city of Mirebalais, which remains under gang control.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security and Bovino himself have held the case up as a prime example of the violence that immigration officials were facing, including death threats allegedly coming from street gangs and even international cartels.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Unlike local gangs, however, these groups maintain articulated political agendas, even if those agendas remain largely oriented toward Colombia.
—Rebecca Hanson, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
Venezuela’s government launched a far-reaching crackdown after Maduro’s ouster, detaining journalists and civilians and sending armed gangs to the streets.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2026
Leading protagonist McLusky has taken on the Russian mob, Aryan Brotherhood gangs and Columbian drug dealers, but Frank Moses is a smoother and more calculating criminal.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 2026
An IndyStar investigation, which is based on interviews with four dozen people, including current and former inmates, their families and former employees, found Miami Correctional is constantly beset by violence fueled by gangs and drugs.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangs
Noun
-
As of January 7, seven teams are looking for a new coach, including the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, and Arizona Cardinals.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
That's not to mention the lower ranks where teams like James Madison or Tulane might find their way into the 12-team field, only to get obliterated in the playoff and lose their coaches and half their players to Power Five schools along the way.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
These internal cliques, or deputy gangs, which have been tied to specific LASD precincts, have names like the Banditos, the Grim Reapers, and the Regulators.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
-
At the Dallas Street property, small cliques of armed men, mostly Venezuelans and Mexicans, fought an ongoing turf war.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In other words, just as warfare and armed conflict have evolved away from armies lined up across national borders, the right to self-defense has to be read as being capacious enough to accommodate a military response to threats such as narco-terrorism.—
Sandeep Gopalan,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Allied armies had broken out of Normandy, liberated Paris, and pushed toward Germany.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Indeed, this tragedy reflects the deep strain being felt in countless communities across our nation.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Upper Lake & Covelo Ranger DistrictsNorthshore Reforestation and Bartlett Springs pile burning located northeast of North Shore communities Nice, Lucerne and Clearlake Oaks in Lake County.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Outside the capital, guerrilla groups and organized crime syndicates are exploiting the power vacuum along Venezuela’s borders and in its resource-rich interior.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Many of the scam compounds operating across Southeast Asia are run by Chinese crime syndicates.—
Ladan Anoushfar,
CNN Money,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Shane Stant clubs Kerrigan on the knee and flees the scene.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Moments after talking to the alderwoman, Chicago Streets and Sanitation crews were out at night clearing trash, not tents.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Officials also touted their success in securing gap financing for Rose Creek Village, a complex of 59 studio apartments in Pacific Beach where crews broke ground in September.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
As the confrontation escalated, agents deployed a flash-bang device while crowds threw bricks and paint cans from rooftops.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Zion National Park is stunning and peaceful in winter, with fewer crowds and rare access to scenic drives by personal vehicle.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gangs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangs. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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