as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
London bobbies clearing the streets of hooligans
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hooligan
While the hooligan set wasn’t always known for peace, their loyalty to the brand was unquestionable.
—
Michael Stefanov, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2024
Nikitin, whose legal surname is Kapustin, is one of Europe’s most influential neo-Nazi activists, starting out small with fight club events held in backwater Russian cities among amateurs from soccer hooligan and skinhead groups.
—Ali Winston, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2024
On Wednesday, a Dortmund bar came under attack by Dutch hooligans, with the intention seemingly being to steal a St George flag.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 July 2024
Some have focused their anger on the community after some of the hooligans who attacked Israelis could be heard in videos of the attacks speaking Moroccan Arabic and Berber languages native to Morocco.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 18 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Michael Stefanov, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2024
Nikitin, whose legal surname is Kapustin, is one of Europe’s most influential neo-Nazi activists, starting out small with fight club events held in backwater Russian cities among amateurs from soccer hooligan and skinhead groups.
—Ali Winston, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2024
On Wednesday, a Dortmund bar came under attack by Dutch hooligans, with the intention seemingly being to steal a St George flag.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 July 2024
Some have focused their anger on the community after some of the hooligans who attacked Israelis could be heard in videos of the attacks speaking Moroccan Arabic and Berber languages native to Morocco.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 18 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooligan
Noun
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Jewish people in the U.S. have adopted a position of ‘support Netanyahu and his thugs irrespective of the political cost’ approach.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
14 Mar. 2025
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The thug in the seat next to him had 14 prior arrests and went by the name of killer.—
NPR,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The film follows an American student (Seberg) in Paris who loves a dangerous criminal (Belmondo) obsessed with Humphrey Bogart.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
20 Mar. 2025
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There were radicals, activists, intellectuals as well as common criminals, the usual power brokers, and always a mob lurking in the background.—
Phil Terrana,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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An hour ago, the stocky British actor best known on these shores for playing tough guys and gangsters was on a morning talk show, after having chatted with Jimmy Fallon the previous evening.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
22 Mar. 2025
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Dealing with the fractious relationship between gangsters and former friends Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, the film strains for an epic quality that the filmmaking doesn’t support.—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Want to try and take on a bandit camp but don’t want to risk dying?—
George Yang,
Rolling Stone,
3 Feb. 2025
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Matt Dillon as Bob Hughes, lead junkie bandit of Drugstore Cowboy would also slot right in now, as would the late River Phoenix as conflicted hustler Mike Waters in Idaho.—
Matt Thompson,
SPIN,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In Lynch’s festering neo-noir mystery from 1987, Hopper plays a chronic villain perpetually sipping from a tank of amyl nitrate and handing out hits as a way to manipulate his henchmen.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2025
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Quinn is such a mustache-twirling villain throughout that his interactions with Reacher feel overly cartoonish.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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When Jennifer Lawrence isn’t full-frontally beating the bejesus out of insouciant hoodlums, that is.—
Charles Bramesco,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2025
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However, their dreams are threatened by the hoodlums in the Riverbottom Gang.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
30 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Majima's two combat styles are brilliantly cool, as are customization options for your crew, your looks and your pirate ship.—
James Perkins Mastromarino,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
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Children can enjoy the facilities at the hotel’s Kids Club, which has a large outdoor playground featuring a large play pirate ship.—
Jason Chau,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hooligan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooligan. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.
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