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
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Recent Examples of gangsters
These were gangsters, so they weren’t obliged to couch this any way but direct.
—
Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
McLusky, however, isn’t interested in meeting new gangsters or unknown criminals in his town.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
The other is about Chicago-style gangsters circa 1929.
—JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2025
This person mapped out the constellation of gangsters at the ceremony, and provided a video of the event to American agents.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Two sisters with a tragic story are said to linger upstairs at Langston’s Western Wear, and unexplained voices and rattling glassware have been heard at Gabriella’s Italian Grill, a Prohibition-era building with a gangsters and gambling history.
—Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
In those times, young people who self-described as gangsters fought for territory, and one of their subversive acts was to tag the walls of the city with the verses of cumbia songs.
—Karla Gachet, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
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
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
Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
McLusky, however, isn’t interested in meeting new gangsters or unknown criminals in his town.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
The other is about Chicago-style gangsters circa 1929.
—JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2025
This person mapped out the constellation of gangsters at the ceremony, and provided a video of the event to American agents.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Two sisters with a tragic story are said to linger upstairs at Langston’s Western Wear, and unexplained voices and rattling glassware have been heard at Gabriella’s Italian Grill, a Prohibition-era building with a gangsters and gambling history.
—Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
In those times, young people who self-described as gangsters fought for territory, and one of their subversive acts was to tag the walls of the city with the verses of cumbia songs.
—Karla Gachet, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangsters
Noun
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Of course, Sarah and her mom continue to believe that God is on their side, even after the family home is attacked by oil company thugs and a reliable ally winds up on the wrong end of a shotgun.—
Joe Leydon,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
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In The Big Lebowski, thugs mistake the titular slacker (Bridges) for the wealthy Jeffrey Lebowski, sending him on a wild investigation with his pal Walter (John Goodman) into a ransom plot involving Lebowski’s young wife (Tara Reid).—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The trio has a surprisingly good theory about the implosion of the makeshift Astral Pulse; seems like Shroud never found the original, and someone has been outfitting low-level criminals with bootlegs that are going awry like Robert’s.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
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With spoofing tools, criminals can mimic real bank phone numbers and even use AI to reproduce familiar voices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Like the Red Ring goons at the bar, villains all over the city are more juiced up than ever, made stronger by enhancements provided by Shroud.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
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Plus, there's plenty of new heroes and villains to root for and against.—
EW Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The country has faced years of bloodshed from Boko Haram militants and armed bandits, whose motives are often linked more to territorial control and ransom than to religion.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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In classical antiquity, the mountainous region was notorious for bandits; in modern times, blood feuds among clans were rife.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Presidential assassins and all this dark stuff.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
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Up until then, slashers were silent assassins or a breather.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Just like Scott said, there were a lot of pirates out there.—
Dan Morrison,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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The book, which is from Australia, follows Bee and her fellow runaways, who discover a new friend, Paco, is a Lost Boy from Neverland who needs them to fight hordes of pirates led by a merciless new leader.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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There, surrounded by mobsters, the future moviemaker embraced Catholicism and the Italian code of omertà.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
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Their investigation plunges them into the shadowy corners of New York and beyond — where the trio uncovers a dangerous web of secrets connecting powerful billionaires, old-school mobsters and the mysterious residents of the Arconia.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gangsters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangsters. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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