as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the mobster threatened to break his legs if he didn't pay up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of mobsters
Set in 1986, the story follows two brothers, Irwin and Gary Pearl, whose get-rich scheme to help clean up the Gowanus Canal ends in disaster after Irwin (Teller), a nebbish family man, angers Russian mobsters by unwittingly witnessing their criminal activity.
—
Ellise Shafer, Variety, 17 May 2026
While Irwin is getting smacked around, two mobsters terrorize the boys in the car before kicking them out and driving off in it.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
In the early 20th century, this man-versus-nature oasis was strong-armed into being when mobsters and casino magnates swept into the Nevada desert.
—Zoey Goto, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026
Giuliani was elected New York’s mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Giuliani was elected New York’s mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 3 May 2026
The indictment presents a detailed and devastating narrative of how, for years, officials in Sinaloa have allegedly worked hand in hand with mobsters, enriching themselves and allowing the gang to operate with seeming impunity.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Local Minneapolis prosecutors had invoked the law to suppress a sensational, anti-Semitic tabloid, The Saturday Press, which had been relentlessly attacking city officials as corrupt and in league with Jewish mobsters.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2026
In Big Mistakes, Levy and Taylor Ortega play siblings who shoplift a necklace from a jewelry store to give to their grandmother on her deathbed, only to be blackmailed by the mobsters that run the place into a series of increasingly stupid and dangerous errands.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
Ellise Shafer, Variety, 17 May 2026
While Irwin is getting smacked around, two mobsters terrorize the boys in the car before kicking them out and driving off in it.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
In the early 20th century, this man-versus-nature oasis was strong-armed into being when mobsters and casino magnates swept into the Nevada desert.
—Zoey Goto, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026
Giuliani was elected New York’s mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Giuliani was elected New York’s mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 3 May 2026
The indictment presents a detailed and devastating narrative of how, for years, officials in Sinaloa have allegedly worked hand in hand with mobsters, enriching themselves and allowing the gang to operate with seeming impunity.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Local Minneapolis prosecutors had invoked the law to suppress a sensational, anti-Semitic tabloid, The Saturday Press, which had been relentlessly attacking city officials as corrupt and in league with Jewish mobsters.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Apr. 2026
In Big Mistakes, Levy and Taylor Ortega play siblings who shoplift a necklace from a jewelry store to give to their grandmother on her deathbed, only to be blackmailed by the mobsters that run the place into a series of increasingly stupid and dangerous errands.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mobsters
Noun
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The masked thugs deposit a tearful middle-aged woman in front of Bass, Newsom, and Harris.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
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White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
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In every revolution, there are gangsters.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
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But when the pair decides to let Rotta go instead, Mando is captured by the bounty hunter Embo as punishment for double-crossing the slimy galactic gangsters, prompting Grogu (and a bunch of ridiculously cute Anzellans) to set out on an adventure to rescue him.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 May 2026
Noun
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The bigger issue is that many systems still rely on information criminals may already have, such as birthdays, addresses and partial Social Security numbers.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
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Morrison has covered stories worldwide, interviewing everyone from presidents and prime ministers, student protesters under fire in Tiananmen Square, to criminals, teachers, artists, actors and authors.—
Dateline NBC,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Fast forward two years, and they are now presented as villains in a way no other team has since the late 1990s Yankees teams.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
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Simon was more interested in sociological dynamics about what makes a city tick than traditional heroes or villains, creating a complex portrait of humanity at its best and worst.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Deportees from the United States are especially vulnerable to robbery and kidnapping because gangs and bandits assume that their families can pay larger ransoms.—
Caitlin Dickerson,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
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Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Later, the team pieces together that the assassins were professionals who had been hired by someone with deep pockets.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 May 2026
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The film follows a unit of young assassins who belong to the titular organization, trained in a tropical rainforest by a figure known only as Master.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Noun
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The spot is known for its utter romance and distinct architecture, with buildings featuring balconies hovering over the water—it's said these were used by resident merchants to load their goods directly onto boats and (hopefully) avoid pirates.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
27 May 2026
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International actors have policed the pirates ever since the world first became aware of the Somali pirate crisis, when there were as many as 200 incidents of piracy between 2009 and 2011.—
Luke McGee,
Time,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mobsters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mobsters. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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