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 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 Neither immigrant family should be linked to violent gangsters, of course. — Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangsters

Noun

Threatening to limit mail-in voting, adding ridiculous ID requirements, or staging thugs at polling places are other possible ways to convince you to stay home.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 July 2026
To be sure, the thugs of Hamas and Hezbollah committed a horrific massacre of young Jewish civilians enjoying a music festival on October 7, 2023.

— DP Opinion, Denver Post, 6 July 2026

Definition of thugs

Noun

California has some of the nation’s toughest gun laws, but state lawmakers are concerned that a new technology is allowing criminals to obtain firearms by building them from scratch.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
This lengthy process was typical of ICE’s previous procedures to track down criminals, Sandweg said, which may have shifted under the demands of this administration’s daily arrest goals.

— Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Definition of criminals

Noun

Instead, most are romantic stories about young lovers separated by fate, and the rest are swashbuckling adventures full of bandits and pirates.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
Fantastical adventures ensue as the pair encounter a mysterious woman, Alexandra, who has lost her son, along with coyotes, bandits, and some pretty big secrets.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 29 June 2026

Definition of bandits

Noun

Lucky Number Slevin, a movie about mistaken identity, rival crime syndicates, and assassins, was, for some reason (Josh Hartnett), one of the comfort movies of my childhood.

— Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 1 July 2026
These artisans, with their trade secrets, were kept on Murano, a cluster of islands just across the lagoon from the city, ostensibly as a precaution against fire, though the state would also send assassins after anyone who tried to leave.

— Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

Definition of assassins

Noun

In Breaking Bear, a family of furry forest dwellers use everything in their power — including high explosives and drug money — to fight the frackers, mobsters, and a monstrous wolf pack threatening to destroy their home.

— Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 25 June 2026
But in April 2005, following an investigation dubbed Operation Family Secrets, 14 Chicago mobsters were charged with 18 then-as-yet-unsolved murders — including those of the Spilotros.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 23 June 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 25 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of gangsters

noun

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