as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
after numerous suspensions, the school toughies were finally expelled for gang activities on campus
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Recent Examples of toughies
Other toughies are at the not-so-soft Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13, the revenge trip to New England in Week 15 and the Philadelphia Eagles at Highmark Stadium in Week 17.
—
Tim Graham, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Tim Graham, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toughies
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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The owners who pack up their teams and leave are forever villains in their old markets.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
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Making lynxes the villains was also intentional.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The first thing to do is to reduce the damage to the United States, the inflow of guns and criminals and immigrants and drugs into the United States, the destabilizing of a key part of the Western Hemisphere.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Also, place freezes with ChexSystems and the National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange to stop criminals from opening bank accounts, phone lines, or utility services in his name.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The epicenter of proliferation of these signs is Houston, which had been fighting these little bandits for years.—
Dave Lieber,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Jan. 2026
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There can be no doubt that in tax terms, America’s wealthiest families make out like bandits.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The gangsters grew powerful running liquor during Prohibition.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
6 Jan. 2026
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Beset by gangs and guns, the Haçienda faltered in the ’90s despite clever-sounding schemes such as replacing the club’s security with the gangsters themselves.—
Andrew Holter,
The Atlantic,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The local toughs, led by the sadistic Ace Merrill (Kiefer Sutherland), are headed the same way, albeit for different reasons.—
Sezin Devi Koehler September 1,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Inside, you’ll be transported to the golden age of piracy and meet actors portraying famous pirates of the past, Wallsmith said.—
Kari Barnett,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
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The effect brings to mind a fortress of serenity crafted by the pirates and explorers who landed here centuries ago and vowed never to leave.—
Gemma Price,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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When a father seeking vengeance, an American operative experiencing a string of bad luck, and several independent assassins hailing from around the world all end up on the same bullet train bound for Kyoto, the results are violent — and the survivors minimal.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Dec. 2025
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The situation gets more complex with the addition of a bunch of oddball assassins trying to murder the neighbor, plus other mysterious and shady types like his former associate Laverne (Weaver).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Toughies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toughies. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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