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plug-uglies

noun

plural of plug-ugly
as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang sent over a couple of hulking plug-uglies to rough up the store owner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plug-uglies
  1. thugs
  2. criminals
  3. villains
  4. offenders
  5. pirates
  6. assassins
  7. gangsters
  8. bandits
Noun
  • The residents occasionally gather in a disused rec center but the meetings devolve into rants about immigrants, junkies, thugs and vigilantism.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026
  • That a Christian man was responsible for the devastation in Oklahoma City certainly didn’t matter to the thugs who terrorized a Muslim woman there, nearly seven months pregnant, by attacking her home, breaking her windows, screaming religious slurs.
    — Reshma Memon Yaqub, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of thugs
Noun
  • Removing violent criminals, gang members, cartel members and those who refuse to work is wise and popular policy.
    — Don Bacon, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Americans have demonized us as criminals, buffoons, lechers, invaders, criminals and job stealers since the fall of the Alamo.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminals
Noun
  • The way it’s framed, both the heroes and the villains can only come from the tech community.
    — Rumman Chowdhury, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
  • There aren’t any villains here, just young people making young people mistakes and older people making older people mistakes.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of villains
Noun
  • The packet of bills also included AB 1546, which will increase the seriousness of charges that repeat DUI offenders could face.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • More often than not, this audit finds the larger offenders causing the retention problem.
    — Kellie Lauth, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of offenders
Noun
  • Their journey brings them into conflict with pirates seeking control of the sacred water on which their community depends.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Knights in shining armor, pirates and princesses grace the grounds of Sleepy Hollow for the annual Renaissance Faire in Des Moines.
    — Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of pirates
Noun
  • Still, despite the typical procedural formula with cases tied to gun smugglers, cartel assassins and kidnappings, the show remains topical enough to keep viewers engaged.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
  • To that end, the presence of Kyle Soller and MyAnna Buring as the two assassins targeting the Slow Horses has been the new season’s most consistently chilling development.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of assassins
Noun
  • Somebody like Gilroy or Jeff Kober and Barry Corbin (popping up occasionally as a pair of geriatric gangsters) will come and go in situations knowingly designed to feel contrived.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
  • And the next thing, a knock come at the door and these gangsters come in with guns.
    — Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of gangsters
Noun
  • When a wealthy, royal woman is attacked by bandits, the two men save her and are welcomed to the castle as valiant knights.
    — Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Elsewhere, a gang of highway bandits cons an unsuspecting family into stopping by the roadside, only to violently kill them, burn their bodies, and strip their car for parts.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of bandits
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.

Browse Nearby Words

plugs (up)
plug-uglies
plug-ugly
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Cite this Entry

“Plug-uglies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plug-uglies. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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