Thesaurus results for HOODLUM

hoodlum

noun

ˈhüd-ləm

Definition of hoodlum

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

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 hoodlum But as Duterte’s father, Vicente, had increasingly gravitated toward Malacañang, his son hung out with the family bodyguards—and crafted the persona of a rough-talking bugoy, or hoodlum, in his native Bisayan tongue. — Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026 These involve raiding the lairs of hoodlum rivals, then singlehandedly dissuading them from competition. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 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

The eponymous former assassin is drawn back into the game after some thugs (led by Alfie Allen) kill his dog and royally piss him off.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026
Tae-ha’s mom left him after Sang-gil, who was also a boxer prior to becoming a thug, cheated in a match.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of thug

Noun

Karp was also involved in the sale last week of a $21 million lot on Palm Island where a mansion owned by gangster Al Capone once stood.

— Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
The bodies start piling up – and business booms – but the growing enterprise puts the trio in the crosshairs of the powerful gangsters and underworld figures in the lawless border town of Saribgunj.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of gangster

Noun

Boxing is fun especially when the boxer in question is beating up criminals in East London.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Working together to track these flows would reduce the chance that international criminals can extend their reach beyond any single jurisdiction.

— Alvin Camba, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

Furious drops the ball a bit in the interactions with Emma and Jay Easton, turning them into one-dimensional caricatures instead of complex villains, but honestly, this show isn’t really about them.

— Erin Qualey, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Saoirse Ronan is ready to step into the dark side and is doubling down on wanting to play a villain in the James Bond universe.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of villain

Noun

The Brigands of Rattlecreek follows a sheriff and a doctor who seek revenge against a group of bandits who use the cover of a torrential thunderstorm to rob and terrorize the occupants of a small town.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
Instead of splitting traffic 50/50 until an end date, AI shifts traffic toward the better performing version while the test is still live, an approach often called a multi-armed bandit.

— Karan Sharma, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of bandit

Noun

Neighbors say they're left shaken after an elderly couple was lured out of their home by thieves, who ransacked their house and stole from them.

— Jermont Terry, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
The field is expanding to include thieves from other sectors, lured by the comparatively low-risk, high-reward nature of art thefts.

— News Desk, Artforum, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of thief

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“Hoodlum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodlum. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of hoodlum

noun

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