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
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
Suddenly Odin gets a call telling him Korps leader Attila (Eili Harboe) and her thugs are on their way to finish the job.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
The new Homeland Security person needs to unmask the thugs causing harm to families and innocent children.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
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
Suddenly Odin gets a call telling him Korps leader Attila (Eili Harboe) and her thugs are on their way to finish the job.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
The new Homeland Security person needs to unmask the thugs causing harm to families and innocent children.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thugs
Noun
-
However, Connecticut Citizens Defense League President Holly Sullivan told Fox News Digital that statewide Democrats chose to go after law-abiding citizens instead of criminals by passing this piece of legislation.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
-
Immigration policy is destroying the lives of families, not criminals.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
8 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
-
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
-
Confronting her ends in violence, drawing Reacher into a web of secrets involving the Pentagon, political assassins and a powerful woman with ties to the military.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
27 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
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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
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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 16 May. 2026.
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