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
While the hooligan set wasn’t always known for peace, their loyalty to the brand was unquestionable.
—
Michael Stefanov, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2024
Nikitin, whose legal surname is Kapustin, is one of Europe’s most influential neo-Nazi activists, starting out small with fight club events held in backwater Russian cities among amateurs from soccer hooligan and skinhead groups.
—Ali Winston, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2024
On Wednesday, a Dortmund bar came under attack by Dutch hooligans, with the intention seemingly being to steal a St George flag.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 July 2024
Some have focused their anger on the community after some of the hooligans who attacked Israelis could be heard in videos of the attacks speaking Moroccan Arabic and Berber languages native to Morocco.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 18 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Michael Stefanov, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2024
Nikitin, whose legal surname is Kapustin, is one of Europe’s most influential neo-Nazi activists, starting out small with fight club events held in backwater Russian cities among amateurs from soccer hooligan and skinhead groups.
—Ali Winston, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2024
On Wednesday, a Dortmund bar came under attack by Dutch hooligans, with the intention seemingly being to steal a St George flag.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 July 2024
Some have focused their anger on the community after some of the hooligans who attacked Israelis could be heard in videos of the attacks speaking Moroccan Arabic and Berber languages native to Morocco.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 18 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooligan
Noun
-
The British consul wants to smuggle the seal out of China, with the help of a group of local thugs.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 Apr. 2025
-
As the machine gun thug tries to seal that deal for Whitman, Cara attempts to get him in her rifle's sights.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This exemption obligates the IRS to assist law enforcement in the pursuit of criminals and will be used against any migrant who has overstayed for more than 90 days as part of the carveout.—
Benjamin Siegel,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Learning of such proactivity reminds me of how cutting-edge cybersecurity firms now use AI to go on the offensive against criminals.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In 1932 Chicago police raided an apparent summit meeting of gangsters, and arrested Lansky and five others on vagrancy charges.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Russian gangsters, grenades, terrorist plots, amnesia, and the idyllic Maine coastline all make an appearance.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Then one day, Moses the Black is struck with the horror of it all and joins a desert monastery, where he's eventually killed by another group of bandits.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Instead, her love interest is a charming bandit named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), cut from the same cloth as the animated Flynn from Disney’s Tangled.—
Josh Spiegel,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Whereas Serena could easily have emerged as a one-note villain, from the beginning of her tenure on the series, Strahovski has imbued Serena with a soulfulness that often puts the audience uncomfortably on her side, despite her reprehensible actions.—
Scarlett Harris,
IndieWire,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Even when a big threat does arrive on the scene, the heroes aren't there right away, so plenty of innocent people get hurt before a villain gets brought to justice.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
During the same year, Lansky joined Mafia hoodlum Joe Adonis in the operation of a major bootleg liquor operation in New York, apparently his first close association with the Mafia.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Those secrets created De Niro’s glorified and most memorable street hoodlums and now befuddle his current crazy-man public image.—
Armond White,
National Review,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The scene in Richard Donner's 1985 adventure comedy The Goonies in which the ragtag group of child explorers finally uncover the mythic pirate ship is one of the film's most unforgettable.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Chan plays Sergeant Dragon Ma, a police officer battling both pirates and gangsters in Hong Kong, and corruption within his law enforcement ranks.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hooligan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooligan. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share