hooligan

noun

ˈhü-li-gən How to pronounce hooligan (audio)
Definition of hooligannext
as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang London bobbies clearing the streets of hooligans

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 hooligan Between the hooligan-ish behavior in New York City, San Antonio's desperation not to go down 3-1 and the chippiness of this series, Game 4 of the NBA Finals should be the most intense basketball game so far this season. — Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026 In Western Europe, the sport has long since priced its hooligan problem away, after all. — Leander Schaerlaeckens june 8, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026 Not only were hooligans running riot every week, but the grounds weren’t fit for purpose, and attendances were locked into a sustained nosedive. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 23 May 2026 But Bruce stands apart from his fellow hooligans. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooligan
  1. thug
  2. criminal
  3. gangster
  4. bandit
  5. villain
  6. hoodlum
  7. pirate
Noun
  • Threatening to limit mail-in voting, adding ridiculous ID requirements, or staging thugs at polling places are other possible ways to convince you to stay home.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 July 2026
  • To be sure, the thugs of Hamas and Hezbollah committed a horrific massacre of young Jewish civilians enjoying a music festival on October 7, 2023.
    — DP Opinion, Denver Post, 6 July 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • California has some of the nation’s toughest gun laws, but state lawmakers are concerned that a new technology is allowing criminals to obtain firearms by building them from scratch.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
  • This lengthy process was typical of ICE’s previous procedures to track down criminals, Sandweg said, which may have shifted under the demands of this administration’s daily arrest goals.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • Ritchson plays a tough guy who falls for a local gangster’s girl.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 21 July 2026
  • Remember all those fake memoirs from the early 2000s, by all those writers pretending to be addicts and gangsters and Holocaust survivors?
    — James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • People in northwest Nigeria are caught between regular attacks by bandit groups who specialize in kidnapping for ransom and Islamist militants who have been expanding their territory.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • Instead, most are romantic stories about young lovers separated by fate, and the rest are swashbuckling adventures full of bandits and pirates.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • The Modi government has portrayed the demonstrators as villains.
    — Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 20 July 2026
  • In the comic, twin brothers Sean and Chris learn their bodies have been enhanced by nanotechnology, thrusting them into a fight against the villain Deadalus within a futuristic world where nature and technology exist side by side.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 July 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Also in his orbit are a consortium of crooks, including his cousin Freddie, a hip junkie, and Pepper, a taciturn hoodlum who was friends with Ray’s dad, Big Mike, a legendary thief.
    — Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026
  • In the past decade, the leadership of the Kinahan organization has become rich and cosmopolitan, and their life styles have started to resemble those of international businessmen more than of street hoodlums.
    — Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
Definition of hoodlum
Noun
  • The Northern California amusement parks that exist today include Children’s Wonderland in Vallejo, where children enter through castle doors guarded by crocodiles to clamber on a teapot, pirate ship and pumpkin carriage.
    — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 13 July 2026
  • Today, travelers are drawn to natural phenomena like the bone-white cliffs of former pirate lair Kleftiko and Sikia sea cave with azure waters ideal for snorkeling.
    — Helen Iatrou, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2026
Definition of pirate

Browse Nearby Words

hook up (with)
hooligan
hooliganism
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Cite this Entry

“Hooligan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooligan. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hooligan

Nglish: Translation of hooligan for Spanish Speakers

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