as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
London bobbies clearing the streets of hooligans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 hooligan
More menacingly, anti-Semitic Polish-nationalist hooligans have mounting success enforcing a boycott against Jewish merchants in villages across the region.
—
Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
After the know-nothing county board opts to raze the baseball diamond to make way for a school, the teams meet for one final game at their beloved Soldier’s Field, with girlfriends, kids, and local hooligans as intermittent spectators.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Listen to this article Two headphone-snatching hooligans are being sought for robbing seven people in a weeklong spree in lower Manhattan and Staten Island, police said Thursday.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
These hooligans have been depicted and glamourised in cult British films Green Street and The Football Factory.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
After the know-nothing county board opts to raze the baseball diamond to make way for a school, the teams meet for one final game at their beloved Soldier’s Field, with girlfriends, kids, and local hooligans as intermittent spectators.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Listen to this article Two headphone-snatching hooligans are being sought for robbing seven people in a weeklong spree in lower Manhattan and Staten Island, police said Thursday.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
These hooligans have been depicted and glamourised in cult British films Green Street and The Football Factory.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooligan
Noun
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
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
-
The Forgotten Gender Nonconformists of the Old West Livia Gershon April 27, 2018 In the Old West, cross-dressing was sometimes a disguise for criminals on the lam.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
But after a bandit attack leaves the children orphaned, the son dies.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
-
To make matters worse, it is hosted by former Family Feud kissing bandit Richard Dawson (who, let the record show, is a fantastic movie villain).—
EW.com,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
But the new villain is smarter than the IMF assumed, and the mission has disastrous results.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
24 May 2025
-
Of course, everyone has their own favorite Bond villain.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
His hoodlum phase in New York was re-created at the Lenox Lounge in Harlem.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 May 2025
-
The gang specialized in hijacking cars and guarding bootleg liquor shipments for other hoodlums during the Prohibition era.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Sea Witch By Eva Leigh Canary Street Press: 448 pages, $19 (Aug. 26) Leigh has penned a pirate romantasy with an ultra-hot relationship at its center.—
Lorraine Berry,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2025
-
However, the sugars in a molasses spray caused an increase of beneficial insects such as adult lacewings, lady beetles, weevil parasitoids, big-eyed bugs, minute pirate bugs, and adult hover flies.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hooligan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooligan. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share