as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
a couple of hoodlums held up the convenience store
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hoodlum
These involve raiding the lairs of hoodlum rivals, then singlehandedly dissuading them from competition.
—
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Aleah and Grasso end up saving Lizzie’s ass and capturing the hoodlums.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
However, hoodlums and thugs who throw objects at the players give up their rights and should be removed, charged, and possibly jailed.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
Somehow, that makes the notion of hoodlums stopping by to order Shnack Wrapz and Cheezecake Shakez and then pillage our neighorhoods seem even more unlikely.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodlum
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Aleah and Grasso end up saving Lizzie’s ass and capturing the hoodlums.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
However, hoodlums and thugs who throw objects at the players give up their rights and should be removed, charged, and possibly jailed.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
Somehow, that makes the notion of hoodlums stopping by to order Shnack Wrapz and Cheezecake Shakez and then pillage our neighorhoods seem even more unlikely.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodlum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodlum
Noun
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The masked thugs deposit a tearful middle-aged woman in front of Bass, Newsom, and Harris.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
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White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
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The only ones making money on alcohol now were gangsters.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 May 2026
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The gangsters who are running the country almost pride themselves on a lack of subtlety and finesse.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
11 May 2026
Noun
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When unhoused people are treated as criminals, they are pushed into an identity of exclusion rather than belonging.—
Shianne LeClaire,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
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Set in Gaza in 2007, and following the misadventures of a student (Nader Abd Alhay) and restaurant owner and petty criminal (Majd Eid), the picture premiered in Un Certain Regard last year and won the Best Director prize.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Similarly, Sage’s (Susan Heyward) reverse heel turn and Ashley’s (Colby Minifie) life-saving assistance in the West Wing are apparently good enough deeds to spare these savory villains a more commensurate sentence.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
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John Boyega's ex-Stormtrooper Finn and Han are brothers from another mother, Oscar Isaac's pilot Poe is as cool and refreshing as a tall glass of blue milk, and Adam Driver's Kylo does his best Vader impression as a maniacal villain with some serious emotional issues.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Deportees from the United States are especially vulnerable to robbery and kidnapping because gangs and bandits assume that their families can pay larger ransoms.—
Caitlin Dickerson,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
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Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Surveillance video shows the thieves, with faces covered, walking around the complexes on Northeast 191st St by 18th Ave.—
Morgan Rynor,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
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Set against the margins of Mumbai, the film follows four migrants – a gay husband, his wife working in a bar, a thief, and a pimp – whose lives converge around love, survival, and longing.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoodlum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodlum. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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