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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Recent Examples of thugs
Minnesotans, not the armed thugs of ICE and the Border Patrol, are brave.
—
Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
Actively inserting yourself into and attempting to stymie federal law enforcement or barging into a church, as some of these thugs did in Minneapolis, is hindering law enforcement and trespassing, respectively.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026
In this black comedy adapted from the graphic novel, when a bunch of thugs come to her door demanding that Paige’s grandfather (Liam Neeson) help them out with a bank heist, Paige decides to rescue him by doing it herself, with her friends.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Although the film became a template for white revenge fantasies, its street thugs are assembled with almost comic care to avoid racial bias.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Your threat to this criminal regime has also kept the regime's thugs at bay.
—Tucker Reals, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Before this time, young Russians grew up in bleak, rough neighborhoods ruled by street thugs.
—Mikhail Zygar, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
Even the Democrat hacks at Massport understood the insanity of dumping hundreds more of these thugs into one of the few functioning hubs of commercial activity left in New England.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 Nov. 2025
Of course, Sarah and her mom continue to believe that God is on their side, even after the family home is attacked by oil company thugs and a reliable ally winds up on the wrong end of a shotgun.
—Joe Leydon, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
Actively inserting yourself into and attempting to stymie federal law enforcement or barging into a church, as some of these thugs did in Minneapolis, is hindering law enforcement and trespassing, respectively.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026
In this black comedy adapted from the graphic novel, when a bunch of thugs come to her door demanding that Paige’s grandfather (Liam Neeson) help them out with a bank heist, Paige decides to rescue him by doing it herself, with her friends.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Although the film became a template for white revenge fantasies, its street thugs are assembled with almost comic care to avoid racial bias.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Your threat to this criminal regime has also kept the regime's thugs at bay.
—Tucker Reals, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Before this time, young Russians grew up in bleak, rough neighborhoods ruled by street thugs.
—Mikhail Zygar, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
Even the Democrat hacks at Massport understood the insanity of dumping hundreds more of these thugs into one of the few functioning hubs of commercial activity left in New England.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 Nov. 2025
Of course, Sarah and her mom continue to believe that God is on their side, even after the family home is attacked by oil company thugs and a reliable ally winds up on the wrong end of a shotgun.
—Joe Leydon, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thugs
Noun
-
Immigration and Integration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said 315 foreign criminals from countries outside the European Union had received sentences of more than a year over the last five years but were not expelled.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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Top police brass nationwide rarely criticize their federal partners, relying on collaboration to investigate gangs, extremist groups and other major criminals — while also counting on millions in funding from Washington each year.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There may have been some male suitors but never any who were gangsters.—
Nathan Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
He was freed on supervised release in May 2020, but quickly broke that pledge, chowing down with his fellow Colombo gangsters at the legendary Brennan and Carr restaurant that November to discuss the crime family’s future, and their labor union shakedown scheme.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Picking winners and losers, heroes and villains, pathways to success and failure, generates excitement for an event and manufactures a sense of urgency for maximal viewing pleasure.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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As the country moves toward the 2026 midterms, the temptation will be to treat our current racial, political, and economic crisis as a sharp break from the past; to search for singular villains; and to imagine that a return to normalcy is just one election away.—
Heather Ann Thompson,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The authentic Denver and Rio Grande train that has operated at Knott’s since 1952 boasts the highest crime rate in all of Orange County with the notorious Ghost Town bandits robbing every departure from the Calico Square depot.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
21 Jan. 2026
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Whiskey Row celebrates Prescott's Old West history, with saloons once occupied by outlaws and bandits.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Based on the novel by Stephen King, The Running Man is a dystopian sci-fi movie about a reality TV show where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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In the first season of action thriller A Shop For Killers, Kim Hye-jun starred as Jeong Ji-an, a college student who must fight off a bevy of highly skilled assassins while trying to get to the bottom of her uncle’s death.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Aleah and Grasso end up saving Lizzie’s ass and capturing the hoodlums.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
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However, hoodlums and thugs who throw objects at the players give up their rights and should be removed, charged, and possibly jailed.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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That's how one homeowner said two thieves started his car on Palma Lane.—
Marissa Sulek,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Masked thieves jumped out and used trash cans, crowbars and hammers to smash every showcase, Ramzy Tabello, the owner, told freelance news videographer OC Hawk.—
Ryanne Mena,
Oc Register,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Then there’s the scourge known as porch pirates.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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Under the chandelier lights, actors dressed as Joan of Arc, pirates, and mythical beasts waltz over a celestial floor and crack jokes between takes.—
Madeline Hirsch,
InStyle,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thugs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thugs. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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