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
The gangsters grew powerful running liquor during Prohibition.
—
Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 6 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.
—Andrew Holter, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Finding his family under threat from a pair of psychotic local gangsters, Roman must use both his stock-market smarts and his family’s crematorium to curry favor with, and finally overcome, his enemies.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
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
Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 6 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.
—Andrew Holter, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Finding his family under threat from a pair of psychotic local gangsters, Roman must use both his stock-market smarts and his family’s crematorium to curry favor with, and finally overcome, his enemies.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangsters
Noun
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Even the Democrat hacks at Massport understood the insanity of dumping hundreds more of these thugs into one of the few functioning hubs of commercial activity left in New England.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
28 Nov. 2025
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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
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 robbery lasted less than seven minutes, as the bandits used a truck with an extendable ladder to cut through a window on a second-floor balcony, according to police.—
Mason Leath,
ABC News,
27 Dec. 2025
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In return, a lord provided his peasants with protection from bandits or invaders.—
Bobbi Sutherland,
The Conversation,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
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When a father seeking vengeance, an American operative experiencing a string of bad luck, and several independent assassins hailing from around the world all end up on the same bullet train bound for Kyoto, the results are violent — and the survivors minimal.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Dec. 2025
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The situation gets more complex with the addition of a bunch of oddball assassins trying to murder the neighbor, plus other mysterious and shady types like his former associate Laverne (Weaver).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
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December is the busiest time of year for package deliveries and for the porch pirates who steal them.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
31 Dec. 2025
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The Houthis are now supporting Somali pirates to again raid ships in the Indian Ocean.—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Dec. 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 12 Jan. 2026.
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