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
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Recent Examples of thug
Several journalists were beaten by police, and media workers accused authorities of using thugs to deter people from attending anti-government rallies, which Georgian Dream denies.
—
Sophiko Megrelidze, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
Several journalists were beaten by police and media workers accused authorities of using thugs to deter people from attending anti-government rallies, which Georgian Dream denies.
—Sophiko Megrelidze, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024
Several young Georgians who still bore the visible marks of beating described being detained at peaceful protests by security forces; one independent election monitor recounted how he had been roughed up to leave a polling station by a crowd of thugs.
—Christian Caryl, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2024
How To Solve Today’s Wordle The Hint: Scar’s thugs.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for thug 
Sophiko Megrelidze, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
Several journalists were beaten by police and media workers accused authorities of using thugs to deter people from attending anti-government rallies, which Georgian Dream denies.
—Sophiko Megrelidze, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024
Several young Georgians who still bore the visible marks of beating described being detained at peaceful protests by security forces; one independent election monitor recounted how he had been roughed up to leave a polling station by a crowd of thugs.
—Christian Caryl, Foreign Affairs, 26 Dec. 2024
How To Solve Today’s Wordle The Hint: Scar’s thugs.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for thug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thug
Noun
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His family told the local press that the man responsible for his death was a gangster from a rival group who had been living in exile in South Africa.—
Matthew Bremner,
Rolling Stone,
5 Jan. 2025
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The group’s chairman is John Chan, a former Chinatown gangster convicted of human trafficking and drug smuggling charges in the mid-2000s who has since become influential in New York politics.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
4 Jan. 2025
Noun
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It’s widely expected that the administration will first seek to deport criminals who are in this country illegally.—
David Lightman,
Sacramento Bee,
19 Jan. 2025
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Dave Chappelle not only touched on the L.A. County wildfires during his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live but also spoofed the evacuations by pretending to be a criminal with a whole lot to hide.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Also tossed in are picturesque but gratuitous use of famous tourist landmarks as background, near-superheroic training montages, credible intimate character dynamics, a ruthless villain (Johan Heldenbergh as Vanaken) and action that in the home stretch goes absurdly over-the-top.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
13 Jan. 2025
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And though Young and (especially) the perpetrators of the massacre are clearly the villains of the piece, their past history at least partly explains their choices.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Having said that, Shinobi already means assassin so the name is a bit redundant.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes,
10 Jan. 2025
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The actor and martial arts master plays Caine, a blind assassin who uses advanced hearing to beat-up bad guys in creative and brutal ways, as well as - what else? - a cane.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Several warring factions exist within the Zone, as well as lone bandits and stalkers.—
Issy van der Velde,
Rolling Stone,
20 Nov. 2024
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Nationwide, charging executives say the issue is more pronounced in urban centers, with particularly consistent problems in Las Vegas, Seattle, and Oakland, California. RELATED: Magid: EV shoppers finally have plenty of choices Many of these cord bandits are on the hunt for copper.—
Bloomberg,
The Mercury News,
24 Sep. 2024
Noun
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The co-owner of a Texas pizza restaurant came up with an impressive idea to replace employees' tips after thieves ran off with their money over the holidays.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
31 Dec. 2024
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The company plans to weld it shut so that would-be thieves would have to break open a highly radioactive system to get at the weapon-ready material.—
Emily Waltz,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Dec. 2024
Noun
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However, their dreams are threatened by the hoodlums in the Riverbottom Gang.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
30 Nov. 2024
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While Muhammad Ali made his professional boxing comeback with a win against Jerry Quarry at Atlanta’s Municipal Auditorium on October 26, 1970, a group of hoodlums robbed the Black Mafia of more than $1 million in cash and jewelry at a nearby after-party.—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2024
Noun
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The port quickly became successful, attracting pirates, including the infamous Blackbeard, who used the island’s geography to launch surprise attacks on passing ships.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Jan. 2025
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In the finale, the kids are able to contact the New Republic to warn them about the pirates, and permanently drop the barrier around the planet, revealing the existence of At Attin for the first time to the rest of the galaxy.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near thug
Cite this Entry
“Thug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thug. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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