as in criminals
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thugs
The masked thugs deposit a tearful middle-aged woman in front of Bass, Newsom, and Harris.
—
Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.
—Jasmine Desiree, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
He’s beaten by thugs with a crowbar for an unfortunate outburst, exploited by neighbors in the council estate and arrested, all because people don’t understand Tourette syndrome.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Mayor vows to catch 'thugs who did this' Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards promised that law enforcement will catch the people responsible for the violence at the mall.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Why shouldn’t Patrick Lynch, Patrick Hendry, Scott Munro and the rest of the NYPD unions defend a stone-cold guilty action by two thugs who’re supposed to protect us?
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
The thugs would insinuate themselves into the confidence of wayfarers and, when a favorable opportunity presented itself, strangle them by throwing a handkerchief or noose around their necks.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
No government masked thugs shooting down our neighbors in the streets.
—Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Mar. 2026
No government masked thugs shooting down our neighbors in the streets.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.
—Jasmine Desiree, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
He’s beaten by thugs with a crowbar for an unfortunate outburst, exploited by neighbors in the council estate and arrested, all because people don’t understand Tourette syndrome.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Mayor vows to catch 'thugs who did this' Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards promised that law enforcement will catch the people responsible for the violence at the mall.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Why shouldn’t Patrick Lynch, Patrick Hendry, Scott Munro and the rest of the NYPD unions defend a stone-cold guilty action by two thugs who’re supposed to protect us?
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
The thugs would insinuate themselves into the confidence of wayfarers and, when a favorable opportunity presented itself, strangle them by throwing a handkerchief or noose around their necks.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
No government masked thugs shooting down our neighbors in the streets.
—Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Mar. 2026
No government masked thugs shooting down our neighbors in the streets.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thugs
Noun
-
When unhoused people are treated as criminals, they are pushed into an identity of exclusion rather than belonging.—
Shianne LeClaire,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
That’s the job of law enforcement, who make arrests, judges who sentence criminals to pay for their crimes, and a parole board that cares about public safety.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The gangsters who are running the country almost pride themselves on a lack of subtlety and finesse.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
11 May 2026
-
Theater owners cut prices and dispensed prizes to ticket buyers as the gangsters effectively cross-pollinated with the studio dance numbers.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The complexity of individuals – the truth that heroes could commit bad acts and that villains could at times be redeemed – was seared into Foxman from childhood.—
Ron Kampeas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
-
The Dodgers’ production team created a video this spring in which the two-time reigning World Series champions embrace the role of villains.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Sardinian bandits sometimes fought back with their own sense of justice, settling matters through raids, kidnappings, and violence.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Riquelme Vega, a Chilean Dutch cocaine importer also in the Super Cartel, wanted to murder a rival in Dubai by sending a team of Colombian assassins to the Emirates, Kinahan voiced his disapproval.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the past decade, the leadership of the Kinahan organization has become rich and cosmopolitan, and their life styles have started to resemble those of international businessmen more than of street hoodlums.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Police are investigating two recent home burglaries in Los Angeles in which the thieves were confronted by witnesses or scared off by home alarms.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
But among this backpack’s many interior and exterior pockets, there’s a hidden anti-theft compartment on the back to protect your valuables from thieves.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Besides those figures holding mufflers and tires, others were outfitted as cowboys, Indians, lumberjacks (often known as Paul Bunyans), astronauts, chefs, dentists, golfers, hot dog vendors, race-car drivers, pirates and service-station attendants.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
With the exception of a lot of writing about pirates, there were no other contemporary reports of economic dislocation.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thugs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thugs. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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