as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the short, violence-filled life of an inner-city gangsta
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangstas
Noun
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Their neighbor, an older Jewish woman, gets arrested and Nazi thugs brazenly loot her apartment.—
Rabih Alameddine
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025 -
As night falls, armed thugs roam the streets and families pick up guns to protect themselves.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Now is the time to push back in defense of free speech – as strongly and as publicly as the gangsters on the left and right are threatening to revoke it.—
Onkar Ghate,
Oc Register,
26 Sep. 2025
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Unlike Mare, whose community was cloistered and intimate, Task builds a wider world of dealers, gangsters, and thieves, not always to its benefit.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On Tuesday, a total of 300 federal agents stormed a South Side apartment building that Department of Homeland Security officials say harbored criminals.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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Columns speculated endlessly about the men in Mary’s life, her engagement to Daniel Payne and her connection to local criminals.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Advertisement As many of the best villains do, Ok-seon has a sympathetic backstory.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
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Developed and released by Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc, the game allows players to fight and explore as both heroes and villains from the iconic franchise, following a story mode that takes place in the universe’s Final War arc.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Over $200 Off NFL Sunday Ticket NFL fans can make out like bandits with the DraftKings Sportsbook welcome offer.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
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Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were cast as the bumbling but dogged bandits, Harry and Marv, and Catherine O’Hara brought humor and compassion to the part of Kevin’s mother.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On the other hand, there was also the concept of reading and how to integrate that in the story, how the pirates learn to read, and how words go together.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
20 Sep. 2025
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Leaders in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) focused on combating pirates and handling trade across the strait as Chinese settlers increasingly moved to the island.—
David C. Kang,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Gangstas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangstas. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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