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
Relevance
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
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
Whereas the Star Wars sequels woefully misused the actor's talents, this movie puts them center stage, playing one of the teen hoodlums who join forces with their victim to fight off nasty, otherworldly invaders.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 12 Aug. 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
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
Whereas the Star Wars sequels woefully misused the actor's talents, this movie puts them center stage, playing one of the teen hoodlums who join forces with their victim to fight off nasty, otherworldly invaders.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 12 Aug. 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
See All Example Sentences for hoodlum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodlum
Noun
-
Cabello, once Maduro's chief thug, can now be seen sitting across from high level Trump officials in meetings discussing business deals.—
Margaret Brennan,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
He’s beaten by thugs with a crowbar for an unfortunate outburst, exploited by neighbors in the council estate and arrested, all because people don’t understand Tourette syndrome.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Magana’s wife, who was inside at the time, said the exchange sounded like a gangster movie.—
Eleanor Nash
Updated May 3,
Kansas City Star,
3 May 2026
-
Cogan made a similar decision in 2011, disqualifying him from representing Colombo gangster Dino Saracino — who was acquitted of the murder of off-duty NYPD cop Ralph Dols but convicted of racketeering.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
However, Connecticut Citizens Defense League President Holly Sullivan told Fox News Digital that statewide Democrats chose to go after law-abiding citizens instead of criminals by passing this piece of legislation.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
-
Immigration policy is destroying the lives of families, not criminals.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Fisk, the villain, ultimately loses this battle.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
Who’s the villain on your show?—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Sardinian bandits sometimes fought back with their own sense of justice, settling matters through raids, kidnappings, and violence.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
-
Residents of the Altamonte Springs neighborhood of Spring Oaks reported finding human feces on vehicles, mailboxes and in yards before surveillance video pointed the finger at her as the crapping bandit.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The driver was identified as 55-year-old Aurora resident Larry Barnes, whom police describe as a prolific car thief with a lengthy and troubling history of arrests, including numerous drug distribution cases, assault on a peace officer, burglary and other offenses.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Vandals stole the control stick out of an R train in December while it was parked underground in southern Brooklyn, a month after an unknown thief absconded with two-way radios from a specialized work train parked in the Coney Island Yard.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoodlum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodlum. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
