Thesaurus results for GANGSTERS

gangsters

noun

plural of gangster

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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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 gangsters Badly in Love manages to break through because the cast of men and women looking for true love are from the Japanese yankii subculture—juvenile delinquents, motorcycle gangsters, troubled women, and more. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026 Remember all those fake memoirs from the early 2000s, by all those writers pretending to be addicts and gangsters and Holocaust survivors? — James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026 In each, the protagonist(s) will be sought by both police and gangsters yet will lose their own money and have to get along without any while on the run. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026 In Gosha’s case, that involves getting mixed up with gangsters at a seedy nightclub, a sequence that quickly deteriorates from being mildly comical to sinister to outright terrifying by even degrees. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026 It a strange, mystical Bond movie, that’s part an attempt at Blacksploitation and part about Harlem gangsters, Caribbean drug farming, and voodoo-practicing witch doctors. — Literary Hub, 13 July 2026 Determined to extricate his family from their clutches, Eddie tries to play the gangsters at their own game. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 9 July 2026 Sangha said that gangsters intimidating immigrants in the Central Valley is far more prevalent than reported. — Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026 The 16 reputed gangsters or aspiring gangsters charged in the indictment range in age from 19 to 24. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangsters

Noun

Shortly after his big win, he’s attacked by two thugs in a parking garage.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 July 2026
The night of the title fight, Duke is attacked by two thugs who smash his hand with a hammer and, in the ensuing chaos, kill somebody close to him.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026

Definition of thugs

Noun

North Carolina politician says Democrats are coddling criminals Records also list a September 2025 simple-assault charge and a March 2025 charge of assault on a female.

— Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Even if Anna Pigeon carries a gun with cuffs, as real-life law enforcement rangers do, there's much more to the job and character than chasing down criminals.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of criminals

Noun

Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, U30 lister Tom Holland, is back on the screen to beat both villains and records.

— Alexandra York, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
The aforementioned Richie Aprile, played wonderfully by David Proval, makes for one of the most menacing villains of the series.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of villains

Noun

Armed groups, known as bandits in Nigeria, regularly carry out raids and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and north-central parts of the country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
The area was wild and uninhabited, but the bandits moved through it with practiced ease.

— Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of bandits

Noun

Many of Ellis’s most awful characters are the most conventionally attractive, their looks serving as a shield against their various crimes; Murphy co-created The Beauty, in which tech moguls and assassins kill to be beautiful.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026
Authorities were seeking both the assassins and masterminds of the crime, according to the president.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of assassins

Noun

But the island was also a haven for outcasts and pirates and merchants, from across Europe and the Levant and beyond, who came to the Caribbean to seek their fortunes or to help grow the fortunes of others.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
The voyage started with 350 captives; almost all died or were kidnapped a second time by pirates.

— USA Today, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of pirates

Noun

The new manager solved the Bang Records problem by walking into a Ninth Avenue warehouse and handing over $20,000 in cash to two mobsters dressed to the nines.

— Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Hoffa drove to a restaurant in a Detroit suburb to meet two reputed mobsters.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 July 2026

Definition of mobsters

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gangsterism

gangsters

gangs up

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“Gangsters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangsters. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of gangsters

noun

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