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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Recent Examples of hooligan
The film stars Boon as Tommy, a 19-year-old hooligan who wakes up from an all-night bender in the basement of a strange suburban home, bound with a chain around his neck.
—
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
Gallagher has previously apologized for a homophobic tweet about Russian soccer hooligans, for posting a death threat to an Atletico Madrid player, and for insulting Coldplay, and has deleted other posts over the years, including one containing an ableist slur.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 4 July 2025
The left would be wise to wake up to this fact and start acting with some decorum, instead of like a bunch of power-drunk hooligans.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 24 June 2025
On the same day as the Bradford fire, a spectator was killed during one of the worst hooligan fights at a game between Birmingham and Leeds.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
Gallagher has previously apologized for a homophobic tweet about Russian soccer hooligans, for posting a death threat to an Atletico Madrid player, and for insulting Coldplay, and has deleted other posts over the years, including one containing an ableist slur.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 4 July 2025
The left would be wise to wake up to this fact and start acting with some decorum, instead of like a bunch of power-drunk hooligans.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 24 June 2025
On the same day as the Bradford fire, a spectator was killed during one of the worst hooligan fights at a game between Birmingham and Leeds.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooligan
Noun
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No thug could hurt Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini)—North Jersey mob boss and sufferer of panic attacks—like his own family.—
John Ortved,
Vogue,
29 Oct. 2025
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This haunting film was also his first collaboration with Hellboy’s Ron Perlman, who plays a thug out to get the beetle for his rich uncle.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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To suggest that another candidate’s supporters are criminals — particularly when that candidate is, by all measures, poised to win at least a plurality of votes in the city — does not seem like a recipe for earning New Yorkers’ support.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Binance also lacked protocols — standard for financial services companies — to report transactions for money laundering risks, according to the Justice Department, and employees were well aware that such an oversight would invite criminals to the platform.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For his inspiration, Trump points to a mood board that includes, among other images, photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Star Wars‘ powerful gangster Jabba the Hutt.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
1 Nov. 2025
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His buddy Truffaut even has an idea about a would-be French gangster who gets into hot water, based roughly on the true-crime tabloid story of Michel Portail.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In classical antiquity, the mountainous region was notorious for bandits; in modern times, blood feuds among clans were rife.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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Shortly after the museum opened on Sunday morning, two bandits used a lift on a truck to break into its Galerie d'Apollon, which houses the French crown jewels and other treasures, through a second-floor window.—
NPR,
NPR,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Yet if the Dodgers are to be cast as villains from the Book of Samuel, Toronto brought to the fight far more than pebbles.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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The family moved to Hollywood 10 years later, and Gene Lockhart worked steadily as a character actor, usually in avuncular roles, sometimes as a villain.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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These involve raiding the lairs of hoodlum rivals, then singlehandedly dissuading them from competition.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
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The story, originally conceived by Truffaut, is a thin, desultory affair, about a French hoodlum on the run and his doomed fling with an American expat.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The book, which is from Australia, follows Bee and her fellow runaways, who discover a new friend, Paco, is a Lost Boy from Neverland who needs them to fight hordes of pirates led by a merciless new leader.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
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One could be seen wearing an all-denim outfit with an In-N-Out Burger employee hat, while the other wore a floral-print dress with a pirate-style hat.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hooligan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooligan. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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