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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Example Sentences
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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
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Jesse, understandably, has become more defensive about antisemitism since he was brutally attacked by thugs who singled him out for being Jewish.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2025
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The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Malik revealed that his goal was to practice law, specifically focusing on criminal law and personal injury and criminal.—
Francesca Gariano,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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In a recent spree of clemency for white collar criminals, President Trump has pardoned Utah entrepreneur Trevor Milton, who was convicted in 2022 of misleading investors in his hydrogen and electric truck company Nikola.—
Erin Alberty,
Axios,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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An hour ago, the stocky British actor best known on these shores for playing tough guys and gangsters was on a morning talk show, after having chatted with Jimmy Fallon the previous evening.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
22 Mar. 2025
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Dealing with the fractious relationship between gangsters and former friends Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, the film strains for an epic quality that the filmmaking doesn’t support.—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, the prince has his own group of seven bandits, in which people with dwarfism are represented.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
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After the kiss in Snow White, the princess emerges from what was supposed to be her eternal slumber to enlist the seven dwarfs, as well as Jonathan and his fellow bandits to lead an uprising to take down the Evil Queen.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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As previously announced, Robert Downey Jr. will be back as the villain Doctor Doom instead of Iron Man.—
Michaela Zee,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2025
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Tenoch Huerta Mejia Mejia debuted as the villain Namor in Wakanda Forever and was responsible for the death of Queen Romanda (Angela Bassett) in that film.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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Some people told his family that Pereda went to a movie that night and a hoodlum told him someone outside wanted to see him.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Travelers can also visit the San Felipe Fort for a dose of pirate history, then unwind in the slow-moving current of the natural lazy river Los Rápidos.—
Meagan Drillinger,
AFAR Media,
28 Mar. 2025
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Elementary School Kids can step into the world of pirates at The North Carolina Maritime Museum, where artifacts from Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge ship live.—
Roger Sands,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hooligan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooligan. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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