as in thugs
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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Recent Examples of gangsters
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
Stabilizing Venezuela will require rooting the gangsters out of the jungles, executive suites and capitols.
—Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2026
Beset by gangs and guns, the Haçienda faltered in the ’90s despite clever-sounding schemes such as replacing the club’s security with the gangsters themselves.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
The gangsters grew powerful running liquor during Prohibition.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Lord, that sounds like gangsters, don’t it.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The hustler subculture was specifically compelling for Bellizzi, who looked to 20th century Wise Guy gangsters to evoke Marty’s gritty swagger.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 27 Dec. 2025
Part thriller, part family drama, this book follows a trio of siblings who become enmeshed in a world of gangsters after their father is involved in an accident.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
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
Stabilizing Venezuela will require rooting the gangsters out of the jungles, executive suites and capitols.
—Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2026
Beset by gangs and guns, the Haçienda faltered in the ’90s despite clever-sounding schemes such as replacing the club’s security with the gangsters themselves.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026
The gangsters grew powerful running liquor during Prohibition.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Lord, that sounds like gangsters, don’t it.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The hustler subculture was specifically compelling for Bellizzi, who looked to 20th century Wise Guy gangsters to evoke Marty’s gritty swagger.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 27 Dec. 2025
Part thriller, part family drama, this book follows a trio of siblings who become enmeshed in a world of gangsters after their father is involved in an accident.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangsters
Noun
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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
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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
-
Picking winners and losers, heroes and villains, pathways to success and failure, generates excitement for an event and manufactures a sense of urgency for maximal viewing pleasure.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
-
As the country moves toward the 2026 midterms, the temptation will be to treat our current racial, political, and economic crisis as a sharp break from the past; to search for singular villains; and to imagine that a return to normalcy is just one election away.—
Heather Ann Thompson,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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Whiskey Row celebrates Prescott's Old West history, with saloons once occupied by outlaws and bandits.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Then there’s the scourge known as porch pirates.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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Under the chandelier lights, actors dressed as Joan of Arc, pirates, and mythical beasts waltz over a celestial floor and crack jokes between takes.—
Madeline Hirsch,
InStyle,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
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With a little more ease than should be the case and at the expense of gripping mystery taking shape, James and Jonny piece together a conspiracy involving local mobsters and Yakuza led by coke-snorting assassin Nakamura (multitalented Japanese artist Miyavi).—
Richard Kuipers,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
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From Sweet Sue’s big opening song to the train ride west to hopping over the border to Mexico and back, the characters have to navigate love, life, and high heels while mobsters and feds surround them.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gangsters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangsters. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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