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 Democrats, though, have no problems releasing all these bloodthirsty thugs back into the neighborhood.
—
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
In a season 3 teaser, Peter saves Suraj Sharma's Jay Batra from some thugs at a soccer stadium.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
Foucauld had later left the army to become a Trappist monk and had established himself as a missionary in Tamanrasset, Algeria, in the middle of the Sahara Desert; he was killed there by local thugs in 1916.
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
Others seem to act like thugs on a wilding binge.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 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
The active theory was that the assailants were career burglars or career thugs or worse.
—Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
In a season 3 teaser, Peter saves Suraj Sharma's Jay Batra from some thugs at a soccer stadium.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
Foucauld had later left the army to become a Trappist monk and had established himself as a missionary in Tamanrasset, Algeria, in the middle of the Sahara Desert; he was killed there by local thugs in 1916.
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
Others seem to act like thugs on a wilding binge.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 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
The active theory was that the assailants were career burglars or career thugs or worse.
—Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thugs
Noun
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Whatley said those policies threaten law enforcement officers and public safety, arguing that criminals belong behind bars and pledging to continue backing law enforcement.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The decisive action of the Mexican government is positive for families on both sides of the border who suffer the devastating consequences of the activities of these transnational criminals.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Together, the grimy pair start riding the rails across the country, watching movies starring Frank’s favorite actor, Ronnie Reed (Jake Gyllenhaal), and somehow sparking a feminist plot to overthrow the kinds of mean gangsters who killed Ida in the first place.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
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After a career defined by playing gangsters, an avenging taxi driver and a paranoid prize fighter, the Oscar-winning actor recited a call for civility, as first spoken by Abraham Lincoln.—
Hillel Italie,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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With ‘live’ scenes from the ship’s top deck, Marvel villains had invaded the cruise and the screens showed our heroes in action, saving the day.—
Helen Wright,
TheWeek,
11 Mar. 2026
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On one level, the Nazis here are stereotypical adventure story villains, yet specific actual Nazi atrocities are discussed and the suffering of French citizens is deeply felt.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Police arrested one of four snowball bandits caught on camera clobbering the cops with snow.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Traditional western dramas were more likely to depict vaqueros as bandits than hard-working ranch hands whose contributions were fundamental to the American West.—
Foreign Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Soon, Cooper, Jordan and their reluctant new associates, Byron’s assassins Antonio (Anthony Ramos) and Jeremy (Jeremy Pope), find themselves in the crosshairs of a brewing war within the Forst family.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
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And those master assassins would turn out to be a pair of undercover feds.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
26 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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Aleah and Grasso end up saving Lizzie’s ass and capturing the hoodlums.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Data brokers collect your personal information legitimately, while hackers and identity thieves don’t attempt legitimacy.—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
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The thieves stole about $6,000 from the pizzeria.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The third, Thomas Jefferson, fought the Barbary pirates without a formal declaration.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
4 Mar. 2026
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The park also pointed out a Junior Ranger booklet's mention of female pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries dressing like men to hide among ship crews.—
Karin Brulliard,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thugs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thugs. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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