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
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Recent Examples of thugs
The actions of these thugs, who should be imprisoned for a long while, is the cause of denying real Knicks fans the chance to watch the game communally.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026
People have committed suicide because a bunch of thugs went after them.
—NBC news, 7 June 2026
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
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
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026
People have committed suicide because a bunch of thugs went after them.
—NBC news, 7 June 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thugs
Noun
-
These people are vital to the Florida economy, yet they are being rounded up like criminals.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Patching software regularly could close known vulnerabilities before criminals exploit them.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Sensing this once-great dynasty is in decline, the outback’s most powerful factions — rival cattle barons, desert gangsters, Indigenous elders, and billionaire miners — move in for the kill, with billions of dollars at stake.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
-
In Gray’s taut thriller, set in 1980s Brighton Beach; the Gowanus area of Brooklyn; and Great Neck, Long Island, two brothers (Driver and Teller) fall afoul of Russian gangsters in a rapidly transforming city where high-stakes opportunities for riches also come with a high risk of life and limb.—
Jada Yuan,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The festive, charming and energetic North American tour of the Broadway production is packed with as much nostalgia as new characters that are doppelgangers for the original series’ heroes and villains, and who often challenge our assumptions about their infamous families.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
-
What villains, from Earth or elsewhere, are most known to threaten humanity?—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The Robin Hood-lite bandits, who also include Taylour Paige’s Mariah and Naomi Ackie’s Sade, target Christie's ridiculous monochromatic retail stores, eventually allying with factory laborers in China to take down her exploitative brand of capitalism.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Time,
19 May 2026
-
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
-
By adopting a policy of assassinating assassins, Israel sought international legitimacy, and perhaps even the quiet approval of some Lebanese.—
Lynn Zovighian,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Aug. 2025
-
Taking a cursed amulet from a dead Prince on a battlefield, Deathstalker teams with Doodad to rid himself of the medallion as he’s marked by dark magick and hunted by monstrous assassins.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
31 July 2025
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
-
Break a window and thieves might catch a break from facing a dedicated prosecutor in the misdemeanor unit at the Sacramento District Attorney's Office, as budget cuts are leading to cuts in that unit.—
Steve Large,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
Its anti-theft features include locking zippers that deter thieves, cut-resistant straps, and an interior that’s built with RFID protection.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Tens of thousands drowned, while others were raped, robbed, and murdered by pirates, finding vulnerable prey.—
Elizabeth Holtzman,
Time,
9 June 2026
-
Later on, plundering Barbary pirates raided Mallorca, looting possessions, slaughtering inhabitants and capturing others for the slave trade.—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thugs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thugs. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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