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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thug
When a trio of thugs show up to violently collect, Li reveals his skills by fighting them off.
—
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025
Ultra Man is sort of Lex's thug and is pretty powerful.
—EW.com, 19 June 2025
This will reveal paid fake thugs posing as protesters becoming violent.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
When Jun-mo hires some foreign thugs to kill a fellow Bongsan manager encroaching on his share of the business, Chairman Gu asks old friend Chairman Lee for his help.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for thug
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025
Ultra Man is sort of Lex's thug and is pretty powerful.
—EW.com, 19 June 2025
This will reveal paid fake thugs posing as protesters becoming violent.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
When Jun-mo hires some foreign thugs to kill a fellow Bongsan manager encroaching on his share of the business, Chairman Gu asks old friend Chairman Lee for his help.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for thug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thug
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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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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Matthias Schoenaerts signed on as the film's villain, Krem of the Yellow Hills, in September 2024, per Deadline, and a few months later, Jason Momoa confirmed his casting as the violent intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.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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PlayStation 5 Games Deals The Assassin's Creed franchise has been a staple in gaming consoles for nearly 20 years now, and Shadows, the latest iteration, furthers that tradition with a game that puts players behind Naoe, a shinobi assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
11 July 2025
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The details of how these would-be assassins got so close are still shrouded in mystery.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
10 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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The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is car thieves' favorite vehicle to steal in Texas, based on a FinanceBuzz review of National Insurance Crime Bureau data.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Austin American Statesman,
14 July 2025
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Anti-theft technology may have evolved over the years, but so have car thieves, so remain vigilant and prepared to prevent auto theft.—
Charles Singh,
AZCentral.com,
11 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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To make matters even worse, snow pirates, survivalists, bandits, the colonial military force NEVEC, and other factions are fighting over land and resources.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thug. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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