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
In the film, the twins return from Chicago in the early 1930s, which inspired Carter to turn to photos of Chicago gangsters from the era.
—
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
Ryan Gosling plays an American expat in Bangkok who gets in over his head with some local gangsters.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 30 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
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
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
Ryan Gosling plays an American expat in Bangkok who gets in over his head with some local gangsters.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 30 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
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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The forces involved in this deadly crackdown include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its Basij thugs and various divisions of Iran’s security forces.—
Hamid Kashani,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
-
When three murderous thugs attempt to reclaim the contraband from Susan, a nightmarish scenario unfolds during the two-hour stage story.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Violence is widespread in the city proper, with large encampments where meth and other drugs are readily available and criminals reportedly exploit the city’s free bus system to carry out offenses.—
Michael Ruiz , Adriana James-Rodil,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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Godwin is well known in the space, having assisted law enforcement nationwide leading to the removal of hundreds of criminals from the streets.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Even the Dodgers, the cartoon villains of spending, kind of sort of have a limit.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Head coach Patty Gasso and her bunch remain the biggest villains in the Texas softball universe.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The bandits are those who help themselves and cause others a loss.—
Jonny Thomson,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
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The West African nation has been fighting an insurgency for more than a decade, with Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State of West Africa Province, in addition to several amorphous groups commonly referred to as bandits.—
Pelumi Salako,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After diplomatic negotiations, the Iranian state called off its assassins in 1998.—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
One week later, on May 15, assassins forced Valdez, 50, from his car at midday and shot him at least a dozen times in downtown Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state.—
Foreign Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
New data names the top ten worst states for porch pirates, with Rhode Island placing seventh.—
Will Richmond,
The Providence Journal,
17 Feb. 2026
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Within hours, Matt is abducted by a gang of ruthless pirates led by Langbore (Copley).—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The mobsters turned the van around, pulled off the highway and dumped Gasso in a patch of poison ivy along the Connecticut River in Wethersfield.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
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Police officials at a news conference said the officers had collected personal and private information unlawfully and distributed it to organized crime figures, in some cases for bribes, and that mobsters then carried out shootings and other violent crimes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gangsters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangsters. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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