Thesaurus results for THUG

thug

noun

ˈthəg

Definition of thug

as in gangster

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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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 thug Mandylor is equally hilarious as a dumb thug who is so deserving of becoming shark bait. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 July 2026 In the big screen take of Clayface, Hagen is a matinee idol on the rise, but his face gets slashed by thugs. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 23 July 2026 New Netflix exclusive The Debt Collector stars popular leading man Nadech Kugimiya as Num, a former hired thug who gets out of prison with just weeks to live. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 July 2026 The last game changed from gutter/thug ball to professional ball. — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for thug

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thug

Noun

One of the most striking aspects of the novel is its characters’ profound self-consciousness about the place of the gangster in American culture.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Related Stories The story follows Robbie, whose parents were murdered at the hands of notorious gangster Franz Müller in the 90s.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of gangster

Noun

Hailing from London as the son of hardscrabble fruit sellers, Winstone was often asked to channel his rough-and-tumble upbringing and pre-acting career as a boxer into mobster and villain roles.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Aug. 2026
Standing in his way is a mysterious villain intent on his destruction.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of villain

Noun

Making everyone a potential spy or assassin was only an expedient way to destroy institutions internally and externally through financial incentives.

— Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Skirting bravely around the edges of space to seek solace, they’re hunted by the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a deadly Alliance assassin on a mission who seeks to recapture her.

— Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of assassin

Noun

Analysts warn each ransom payment fuels more crime as armed groups, from rural bandits to Islamist militants, raid schools, mosques and villages, with an average of 21 kidnappings reported daily.

— Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
The Brigands of Rattlecreek follows a sheriff and a doctor who seek revenge against a group of bandits who use the cover of a torrential thunderstorm to rob and terrorize the occupants of a small town.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of bandit

Noun

Casually sporting leggings as a pair of pants can identify you as an easy target for thieves.

— Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2026
At an archeological museum in Alicante, Spain, last Thursday — the very day of the Vienna robbery — thieves took dozens of gold and silver Bronze Age artifacts from a collection known as the Treasure of Villena.

— Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of thief

Noun

Also in his orbit are a consortium of crooks, including his cousin Freddie, a hip junkie, and Pepper, a taciturn hoodlum who was friends with Ray’s dad, Big Mike, a legendary thief.

— Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026
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

Definition of hoodlum

Noun

Speaking of singing pirates, Curry clearly fancied these kinds of roles, signing on to play the villainous Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Brian Henson’s musical adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
That is up from Politico’s report that Somali pirates had seized at least three tankers carrying oil and fertilizer since April, while a chemical-carrying ship was hijacked off Yemen in July.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of pirate

Browse Nearby Words

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thug

thugs

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“Thug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thug. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of thug

noun

Example Sentences

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