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
The last major character is Ormon (Barry Keoghan), the thug hired by Nolte’s Money to terrorize his former protégé, and to make sure that any robbery ends with the money in the correct pocket (his).
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
The forces involved in this deadly crackdown include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its Basij thugs and various divisions of Iran’s security forces.
—Hamid Kashani, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
When three murderous thugs attempt to reclaim the contraband from Susan, a nightmarish scenario unfolds during the two-hour stage story.
—Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
And then there is the most recent Minneapolis murder of Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse in the VA Hospital shot multiple times by federal officers looking more like thugs than law enforcement.
—James D. Zirin, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for thug
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
The forces involved in this deadly crackdown include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its Basij thugs and various divisions of Iran’s security forces.
—Hamid Kashani, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
When three murderous thugs attempt to reclaim the contraband from Susan, a nightmarish scenario unfolds during the two-hour stage story.
—Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
And then there is the most recent Minneapolis murder of Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse in the VA Hospital shot multiple times by federal officers looking more like thugs than law enforcement.
—James D. Zirin, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for thug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thug
Noun
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The gangster drama began airing on BBC Two in the UK in 2013, and debuted on Netflix a year later.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
19 Feb. 2026
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The sequel finds the notorious gangster back in Birmingham in 1940, racing to save his son.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE has new funding to expand detention space to keep these criminals off American streets before they are removed for good from our communities.—
Jeff Capellini,
CBS News,
20 Feb. 2026
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His office is more concerned about arresting police officers than prosecuting criminals.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Even the Dodgers, the cartoon villains of spending, kind of sort of have a limit.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
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And Salieri seems more of hybrid creature, as though a villain out of Christopher Marlowe had suddenly been endowed with Shakespearean self-awareness.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The kid is an assassin, just like Jordan.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
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Phoenix Raei joined The Night Agent as Dale, an assassin who is Ellen's lover and partner in crime.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The story revolves around Davis, the sort of gentleman bandit who thoughtfully returns his victims’ cell phones before making his departure and who, in the grand tradition of cinematic thieves, is looking to get out of the business after that last big score.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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Fleeing into the desert with her father, she is hunted by a merciless army and forced to trust a legendary bandit (Mackie) with secrets of his own.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Police have identified a suspect in the heist, though no arrests have been made and investigators are working to nail down exactly how the thief might have been able to access her vehicle keys, authorities said.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
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The thieves didn’t take any of their art, which was a relief, since that’s what is most precious to them.—
Lisa Boone,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The first pictures McCullin took were of hoodlums and down-and-outs, subjects that reflected his own hardscrabble background.—
Andrew Pulver,
Air Mail,
31 Jan. 2026
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But as Duterte’s father, Vicente, had increasingly gravitated toward Malacañang, his son hung out with the family bodyguards—and crafted the persona of a rough-talking bugoy, or hoodlum, in his native Bisayan tongue.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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All of the daring and courage of the Golden Age films about cowboys, fighters, pilots, and pirates is distilled into the score for the first Indiana Jones movie.—
Alex Galbraith,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
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Led by the energetic Danny, the show take viewers on adventures to find pirate treasure, pretend to be superheroes, and fly like an airplane.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thug. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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