Thesaurus results for GANGSTER

gangster

noun

ˈgaŋ-stər

Definition of gangster

as in thug

a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang Al Capone remains one of the most notorious gangsters in American history

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 gangster The Chain O’Lakes area is especially well-known for its gangster connections back in the day. — Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 But when a patient recognizes him from his dangerous past, Brown has eight hours to elude the government, mob hitmen, quack surgeons, and a trail of dead gangsters to somehow beat the reaper. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026 Somebody like Gilroy or Jeff Kober and Barry Corbin (popping up occasionally as a pair of geriatric gangsters) will come and go in situations knowingly designed to feel contrived. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026 Though Pachinko featured more angels than demons, Lee still convincingly inhabited Koh Hansu, the gangster and groomer. — Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gangster

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangster

Noun

These low-level thugs typically are not believed to be formally aligned with Iran.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Borisov, who broke through as a thug with a poet’s soul in the 2024 Anora, vests Ilya with the same spiritual contours.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of thug

Noun

Still, a criminal may combine those details with passwords, PINs or other information stolen elsewhere.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Pillay, 85, received the news while attending a forum in Nuremberg, Germany, where the trials of Nazi war criminals helped lay the foundations of international law.

— Stefanie Dazio, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

The station is soon invaded by out-of-time baseball stars, fairytale villains, and unseasonal snow, all created by aliens eager to understand the concept of imagination.

— Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Carrie’s focus is also shifted, with the 2013 version finding Chloe Grace Moretz’s Carrie more akin to an X-Men villain than the traumatized, feverish teen Sissy Spacek played in 1976.

— Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of villain

Noun

The father pulls over, and the car is immediately swarmed over by bandits, who brutally kill him — plus his wife and two kids — with no mercy.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
In the decade of violent conflicts that followed, attacks on border towns and seizures of American property by revolutionaries and bandits prompted the United States to send two military expeditions into Mexico.

— Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of bandit

Noun

Today in the age of AI, the threats are not just from a lone assassin's bullet but autonomous attack drones.

— Norah O'Donnell, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026
Based on Nick Harkaway’s novel The Price You Pay, the show follows Jackie Price, a former drug queenpin hunted by seven elite assassins.

— Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of assassin

Noun

But Rankin mentions a Japanese mobster who was asked what the arrival of overseas competitors meant for the ancient codes of yakuza chivalry.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Jay cites the scene in which Tommy DeVito (played by Joe Pesci) threatens Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) with increasingly outrageous acts of violence, turning the mobster’s menace into dark comedy.

— John Kennedy, VIBE.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of mobster

Browse Nearby Words

gangstas

gangster

gangsterism

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangster. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of gangster

noun

Example Sentences

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