Thesaurus results for TOUGHS

toughs

noun

plural of tough

as in thugs

a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang didn't want her son hanging out with the neighborhood toughs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of toughs In that version, the character is played by Joe Don Baker, the great character actor known for playing toughs in films like Walking Tall (1973) and Fletch (1985). — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026 So, while Rue and Maddy are confabbing over milkshakes in a diner, Alamo sends Rue off for a drive with his two toughs, G (Marshawn Lynch) and the icy Bishop (Darrell Britt-Gibson). — Marlow Stern, Variety, 11 May 2026 The gangland drama is deeper and darker than the domestic one, strengthened by the unexpected portrayal of the Russian toughs as bumbling in their own way. — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026 Cazale played the title character, an older man who becomes lost in Manhattan and is harassed by two young toughs, one of whom was portrayed by Pacino. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toughs

Noun

Shortly after his big win, he’s attacked by two thugs in a parking garage.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 July 2026
The night of the title fight, Duke is attacked by two thugs who smash his hand with a hammer and, in the ensuing chaos, kill somebody close to him.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026

Definition of thugs

Noun

This high-security prison is a sprawling complex that houses thousands of detainees, including notorious gangsters, terrorists and prominent white-collar offenders.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
Especially when the protagonists are fighting gangsters, offensive editors, twitchy Vatican librarians, and an oversized Jason Momoa, to claim the hand of Gal Gadot’s two characters, one in the present, one in the past.

— A.D. Amorosi, SPIN, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of gangsters

Noun

Spencer says filmmaker Douglas wanted to very much focus mostly on the women rather than talking about the criminals.

— Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026
Depending on the plan, monitoring may cover credit activity, financial accounts, investment and retirement accounts, phone takeovers, SIM swaps, utility accounts and other areas where criminals may try to use your identity.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of criminals

Noun

Armed groups, known as bandits in Nigeria, regularly carry out raids and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and north-central parts of the country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
The area was wild and uninhabited, but the bandits moved through it with practiced ease.

— Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026