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
Sir Jimmy Crystal gives deeply unsettling vibes from the get-go, and while his bizarre gang of hoodlums do save Spike’s life, it’s implied that Spike may have wandered into a much worse situation.
—
Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Critics say police gave up when the rioting erupted in 1992, letting big chunks of the city burn while looters and hoodlums ruled.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
His hoodlum phase in New York was re-created at the Lenox Lounge in Harlem.
—CBS News, 2 May 2025
The gang specialized in hijacking cars and guarding bootleg liquor shipments for other hoodlums during the Prohibition era.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodlum
Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Critics say police gave up when the rioting erupted in 1992, letting big chunks of the city burn while looters and hoodlums ruled.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
His hoodlum phase in New York was re-created at the Lenox Lounge in Harlem.
—CBS News, 2 May 2025
The gang specialized in hijacking cars and guarding bootleg liquor shipments for other hoodlums during the Prohibition era.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodlum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodlum
Noun
-
Girls were there and there were guys that were really extra on some thug, some goon sh*t.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
We’re then introduced to Louie, a thug who works for a loan shark, threatening and killing people.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In those times, young people who self-described as gangsters fought for territory, and one of their subversive acts was to tag the walls of the city with the verses of cumbia songs.—
Karla Gachet,
NPR,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The gangster drama began airing on BBC Two in the UK in 2013, and debuted on Netflix a year later.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The show portrays Watkins introducing Gein to the story of Ilse Koch, a real-life Holocaust war criminal.—
JR Radcliffe,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
On Tuesday, a total of 300 federal agents stormed a South Side apartment building that Department of Homeland Security officials say harbored criminals.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Currently, Wiig is in her villain era.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
-
With Ka-young’s help, Iblis is able to destroy the Flower of Eternal Life, which had allowed Khalid to live forever (at least until this point), and the villain fades to dust.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
What a perfect opportunity for the island’s shoe bandit to strike again!—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The bandit takes the pair into Shaybani territory, where he is treated with suspicion, to the extent that he is considered a traitor and condemned to die.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoodlum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodlum. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share