as in gangster
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the Mob boss regularly sent his thugs after people who were slow to pay their debts
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thug
Another one let her cocaine-dealing thug son use her car before the kid went to federal prison for pimping.
—
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2025
Letterman may be the obvious precedent but Mulaney’s delivery is less snide than lightly panicked, as if some Netflix thugs have their hands on a switch off-camera, eager to cut to black.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2025
The Depardieu shtick — his public persona as a crude, working-class thug — was on full display.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025
Gopnik is a derogatory Russian slang word that roughly translates to thug.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thug
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2025
Letterman may be the obvious precedent but Mulaney’s delivery is less snide than lightly panicked, as if some Netflix thugs have their hands on a switch off-camera, eager to cut to black.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2025
The Depardieu shtick — his public persona as a crude, working-class thug — was on full display.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025
Gopnik is a derogatory Russian slang word that roughly translates to thug.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thug
Noun
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Locomotive, which is currently in Cannes with pics such as gangster comedy Café 404 and Richard Strauss’ Deadline, has also secured deals for In the Fire of War with unnamed buyers in the likes of Poland and Germany.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
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Vogue: Both are genre shows, which is sort of interesting for you: a Western and a gangster series...—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
12 May 2025
Noun
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By the way, none of us is a criminal, as hacking is not a crime.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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Manson was a petty criminal who had been in and out of jail since childhood.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2025
Noun
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Frey was the Game of Thrones villain who orchestrated that show’s infamous Red Wedding, a premeditated and highly violent attack on a large group of people that took place during a wedding reception.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
13 May 2025
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The filmmaker released a 15-second preview of the trailer, featuring footage of a battle between Superman and a mechanized villain named the Hammer of Boravia.—
Michileen Martin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
Noun
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Sandra Oh, the daughter of South Korean immigrant parents, follows British agent Eve Polastri charged with catching the elusive and ruthless assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer).—
Lesley O'Toole,
Variety,
9 May 2025
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The film premieres June 6, and Keanu Reeves will be showing up to lock horns with the titular assassin.—
Michileen Martin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 May 2025
Noun
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Corridos have long been used to tell stories in Mexico, sometimes recounting the exploits of bandits and outlaws.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2025
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After listening in on the meeting, Nanette offers to help identify the bandits using Kabir’s complaint log.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The thief — dressed in a black hoodie and black pants — held a gun to the victim’s face before stealing $100,000 from the victim’s bedroom and then fled on foot, heading south on Seventh Ave., cops said.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2025
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The thieves stole millions of dollars worth of jewelry from the reality star in the middle of the night.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
14 May 2025
Noun
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His hoodlum phase in New York was re-created at the Lenox Lounge in Harlem.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 May 2025
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The gang specialized in hijacking cars and guarding bootleg liquor shipments for other hoodlums during the Prohibition era.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Overcoming the first son, the group continues their journey only to face down one after another, each with his own gimmick: The pirate son with his sea-creature half-men minions, for instance; a band of hunters with their own, even deadlier werewolf.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
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Smuggler’s Copter is obviously a very famous card in Magic history, but also just the flavor of Smuggler’s Copter being, in the original set, for a pair of sky pirates.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thug. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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