as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the short, violence-filled life of an inner-city gangsta
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gangsta
According to Shaw, this is exactly what happened when Tupac later moved to Los Angeles and fully embraced the elevated gangsta image.
—
Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Things just ain’t the same for Dre and Snoop, the gangsta-rap godfathers whose rule-breaking crassness and scandalous storytelling helped coax Time Warner to dump its piece of Interscope Records in 1995 under pressure from Senator Bob Dole.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
The gangsta holy ghost really let him down this time.
—Charles Masson, TVLine, 25 Nov. 2024
How did the Long Beach gangsta rapper become one of the must cuddly, brand-safe ambassadors of all time?
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gangsta
Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Things just ain’t the same for Dre and Snoop, the gangsta-rap godfathers whose rule-breaking crassness and scandalous storytelling helped coax Time Warner to dump its piece of Interscope Records in 1995 under pressure from Senator Bob Dole.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
The gangsta holy ghost really let him down this time.
—Charles Masson, TVLine, 25 Nov. 2024
How did the Long Beach gangsta rapper become one of the must cuddly, brand-safe ambassadors of all time?
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for gangsta
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangsta
Noun
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That theft is believed to have led to the brazen kidnapping in suburban Connecticut of the parents of one of Lam’s alleged co-conspirators by a crew of thugs from Florida who prosecutors say planned to hold the parents for ransom from their newly rich son.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
15 May 2025
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Their reckless, soft-on-crime policies emboldened criminals and thugs; wreaked havoc on the sanctity of our homes, businesses, and public spaces; instilled fear; and jeopardized public trust.—
Jenna deJong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
Noun
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Locomotive, which is currently in Cannes with pics such as gangster comedy Café 404 and Richard Strauss’ Deadline, has also secured deals for In the Fire of War with unnamed buyers in the likes of Poland and Germany.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
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Vogue: Both are genre shows, which is sort of interesting for you: a Western and a gangster series...—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
12 May 2025
Noun
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Or even those Californians, such as many in San Francisco and Los Angeles, who are just fed up with the perception that California is soft on criminals.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
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To boost deportations, immigration officials have detained workers at their homes and jobs — a method that, in the past, had been reserved for only the most violent criminals.—
Ana Ley,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Perhaps this is why it was never required viewing in my household; there was no darker notion than our hero potentially being a villain.—
Tyler Foggatt,
New Yorker,
24 May 2025
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Of course, everyone has their own favorite Bond villain.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gangsta.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangsta. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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