as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
London bobbies clearing the streets of hooligans
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Recent Examples of hooligan
As if to prove his point about support for environmental causes, Millwall fans, often lazily stereotyped as hooligans more interested in Green Street than going green, are proving how outdated such stereotypes are by leading one environmental league table.
—
Steve Price, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Steve Price, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooligan
Noun
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According to reporting from the Clermont Sun, Fike tweeted ‘#thug the new n word’ in April 2015 and ‘Thug life = thug treatment = no pity from me’ in July 2019.—
James Wilkins,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 July 2025
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These scenes evoke images of government thugs in violent regimes disappearing opponents.—
Christy Lopez Guest,
Mercury News,
5 July 2025
Noun
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But with this bill, Republicans are laying the groundwork to gut safeguards that stopped criminals from getting these deadly weapons.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
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Recently, however, the technology has been used by criminals for purposes of sextortion.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Noun
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Alfredo’s lifelong business partner and small-time gangster Annibale (Marco Giallini) even sees it as his chance to ask Lorella on a date.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
8 July 2025
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Where to watch: Tubi 'Sinners' Ryan Coogler's sinfully good period musical gangster vampire horror flick is one of the best movies of the year, period.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 July 2025
Noun
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Riri joins their band of bandits — hacker Slug (Shea Couleé), pyrotechnic master Clown (Sonia Denis), enforcers Jeri (Zoe Terakes) and Roz (Shakira Barrera) aka the Blood Siblings.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
11 July 2025
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The article, published in the July issue of Maguire Magazine, questions whether the bandit Jasper Gunn ever existed in the first place.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Serial killers with a code, far-future space operas, superheroes doing battle with dastardly villains.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
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But just to use an example, Force Awakens sets up Snoke as the big villain of the new trilogy, with a mysterious backstory.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
12 July 2025
Noun
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Sir Jimmy Crystal gives deeply unsettling vibes from the get-go, and while his bizarre gang of hoodlums do save Spike’s life, it’s implied that Spike may have wandered into a much worse situation.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
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Critics say police gave up when the rioting erupted in 1992, letting big chunks of the city burn while looters and hoodlums ruled.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
Noun
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However, the very same ruling condemned Anthropic for its alternative sourcing method: using pirate websites.—
Douglas B. Laney,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
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In the early 1900s, long before smartphones and selfie sticks, tourists flocked to Yellowstone National Park — not for the geysers or scenery, but for a grotesque show: A nightly spectacle of grizzly bears raiding cafeteria scraps from open-pit landfills like desperate, starving pirates.—
Christine Peterson,
Vox,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hooligan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooligan. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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