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 actions of these thugs, who should be imprisoned for a long while, is the cause of denying real Knicks fans the chance to watch the game communally.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 June 2026
-
People have committed suicide because a bunch of thugs went after them.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
7 June 2026
Noun
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One of the most innovative gangsters of the 20th century, Frank Lucas earned the title of Harlem drug kingpin in the late-‘60s and early-‘70s by importing high-quality heroin from Southeast Asia and selling it under the street name Blue Magic.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
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Sensing this once-great dynasty is in decline, the outback’s most powerful factions — rival cattle barons, desert gangsters, Indigenous elders, and billionaire miners — move in for the kill, with billions of dollars at stake.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Russian athletes are routinely asked to answer for the actions of their government, yet athletes from other countries are rarely subjected to the same scrutiny or treated as though they are personally aligned with war criminals or dictators.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
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Rafay Baloch, a cybersecurity expert and author of the book Web Hacking Arsenal, says that criminals specifically look for travelers who appear disoriented.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Noun
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The hero of the series is a former Olympic show jumper turned Tory member of Parliament named Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell), a sexy but cruel villain who—in the books at least—beats horses and breaks women.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
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Clutching a mysterious tool the shape of a mouse coffin, Firth’s villain tracks Daniel’s location by mentally transplanting himself into another person’s body, changing the color of their pupils to his own icy blue.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Re-blockade will now happen at bandit camps and ruins.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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And what gives her purpose is meeting Ruthye, who’s also endured tragedy, and wants to avenge her family’s death at the hands of the bandit Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
20 May 2026
Noun
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In February, police in the suburbs formed a task force to target thieves who had been targeting video gambling machines, wielding crowbars and sledgehammers to break into the machines to steal cash.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
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Freight thieves do have other tastes.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoodlum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodlum. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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