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
Others are new, building on a genuinely fresh and funny revelation that explains not only a cold open involving yakuza gangsters half a world away in Osaka, but also why this quaint town is sitting on a stash of weaponry big enough to overthrow the governments of several small nations.
—
Katie Rife, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Inspired by the colonial Singapore gangsters rulers, four girls, at a modern-day regimented elite secondary school form their own gang cam-recording petty acts of rebellion, led by firebrand freethinking lesbian Choo Xin Yu.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
Roman is later gunned down by Hasidic gangsters Lipa (Liev Schreiber) and Shmully (Vincent D’Onofrio), who take Hank hostage.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
The next day, a pair of Russian gangsters, a tall one named Aleksei (Yuri Kolokolnikov) and a short one nicknamed Microbe (Nikita Kukushkin), come by looking for Russ and beat Hank nearly to death.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2025
The government sees us as criminals and gangsters.
—Tommy Trenchard, NPR, 23 Aug. 2025
An hour ago, the stocky British actor best known on these shores for playing tough guys and gangsters was on a morning talk show, after having chatted with Jimmy Fallon the previous evening.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2025
Plus, the coffers of gangsters will rise.
—Walter E Block, Orange County Register, 22 Mar. 2025
But just as the gangsters put their faith in the would-be hitman to carry out the plot, their lawyers turned to him for a defense.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
Katie Rife, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Inspired by the colonial Singapore gangsters rulers, four girls, at a modern-day regimented elite secondary school form their own gang cam-recording petty acts of rebellion, led by firebrand freethinking lesbian Choo Xin Yu.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
Roman is later gunned down by Hasidic gangsters Lipa (Liev Schreiber) and Shmully (Vincent D’Onofrio), who take Hank hostage.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
The next day, a pair of Russian gangsters, a tall one named Aleksei (Yuri Kolokolnikov) and a short one nicknamed Microbe (Nikita Kukushkin), come by looking for Russ and beat Hank nearly to death.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2025
The government sees us as criminals and gangsters.
—Tommy Trenchard, NPR, 23 Aug. 2025
An hour ago, the stocky British actor best known on these shores for playing tough guys and gangsters was on a morning talk show, after having chatted with Jimmy Fallon the previous evening.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2025
Plus, the coffers of gangsters will rise.
—Walter E Block, Orange County Register, 22 Mar. 2025
But just as the gangsters put their faith in the would-be hitman to carry out the plot, their lawyers turned to him for a defense.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangsters
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
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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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Our research suggests that the vast majority of Republican voters want to close loopholes that allow criminals and dangerous people to get their hands on guns.—
Gabby Giffords,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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The days of letting dangerous criminals terrorize American citizens are over.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Plana played one of the two main villains in Three Amigos.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
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There are true and proper villains (Mordred, Morgan Le Fay).—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 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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The plane is filled with assassins assigned to kill them both.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
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The two Kill Bill films, while still about crime and criminals and ninja assassins, set themselves apart from his earlier works.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In 1985, Tortora was accused by several alleged ex-mobsters turned informants and state witnesses of being part of a Neapolitan crime syndicate dedicated to drug trafficking.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
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Season 5 dives into the contrast between old and new New York, with secret billionaires, mobsters and mysterious residents infiltrating the building.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That’s when Billy, a conman serving a debt of service to the pirates, burst through the crowd, yelling at the blaster men.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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For decades, the characters in science-fiction movies and TV shows who traveled on spaceships tended to be scientists, explorers, diplomats, soldiers, and pirates.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gangsters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangsters. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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