as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the argument that the DEA needs to focus more on the kingpins of the drug trade and less on the gangbangers in the street
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Recent Examples of gangbanger
Aurora, Colorado, has been plagued with crime linked to the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) and now the city’s mayor is accusing his Denver counterpart of not being truthful about how the gangbangers – and other migrants – ended up in his city in the first place.
—
Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
Listen to this article Loading your audio article Two gangbangers responsible for killing a 22-month-old boy at a Brooklyn cookout have been convicted of the tot’s slaying, in a pair of trials that covered an array of death and destruction caused by the bloodthirsty Hoolie gang.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2024
The group aspired to paint a fuller, more nuanced picture that went beyond the image of a gangbanger.
—Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2023
Far from a gangbanger, Yarl was described later in a statement by North Kansas City School District Superintendent Dan Clemens as an excellent student and a talented musician who maintains a stellar GPA while taking mostly college-level courses — far from a criminal profile.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2023
Puppet is probably the mark of the gangbanger who drew the X8.
—Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2012
The trajectory from gangbanger in South San Gabriel to city poet laureate and bestselling author would have been dramatic enough.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2022
Despite making up 18% of the U.S. population, the usual stereotypes of the gangbanger, the day laborer, the janitor, the maid, and the exotic Latina continue to be seen on the big screen.
—AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2021
The gangbanger label will follow a person for life.
—Jacqueline Serrato, chicagotribune.com, 13 Apr. 2018
Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
Listen to this article Loading your audio article Two gangbangers responsible for killing a 22-month-old boy at a Brooklyn cookout have been convicted of the tot’s slaying, in a pair of trials that covered an array of death and destruction caused by the bloodthirsty Hoolie gang.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2024
The group aspired to paint a fuller, more nuanced picture that went beyond the image of a gangbanger.
—Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2023
Far from a gangbanger, Yarl was described later in a statement by North Kansas City School District Superintendent Dan Clemens as an excellent student and a talented musician who maintains a stellar GPA while taking mostly college-level courses — far from a criminal profile.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2023
Puppet is probably the mark of the gangbanger who drew the X8.
—Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2012
The trajectory from gangbanger in South San Gabriel to city poet laureate and bestselling author would have been dramatic enough.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2022
Despite making up 18% of the U.S. population, the usual stereotypes of the gangbanger, the day laborer, the janitor, the maid, and the exotic Latina continue to be seen on the big screen.
—AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2021
The gangbanger label will follow a person for life.
—Jacqueline Serrato, chicagotribune.com, 13 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangbanger
Noun
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The proximate cause of the war crimes chronicled in Han’s novels is South Korea’s succession of authoritarian governments, their soldiers and police; on Jeju Island, these were joined by gangs of right-wing thugs.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
14 Jan. 2025
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Like Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Assad will be remembered as a thug who left his country on the brink of state failure.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The bag has lots of money in it, the stranger is a violent gangster and Mady is soon on the run himself with a whole gang of bad guys after him.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
18 Jan. 2025
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The selection continues its genre focus with the Norwegian body horror The Ugly Stepsister, Turkish political thriller Confidante, and Taiwanese gangster narrative Silent Sparks.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
16 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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The only difference is that instead of Cuban casinos, today's criminals use mixing services and cross-chain bridges.—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
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His affinity for wrestling villains, or heels, adds another layer to his potential return.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
25 Jan. 2025
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Like Adeyemi/Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist could become the villain of the whole race if someone doesn’t intervene to stop it.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Peter and Rose are then tossed into a world of conspiracy involving White House officials, a metro bombing, assassins, the vice president's daughter, and Peter's own father — who, according to official record, was a traitor to his country.—
Ashley Boucher,
EW.com,
23 Jan. 2025
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The assassins were working for Gordon Wick (Ben Cotton), the real culprit behind the DC Metro bombing along with Vice President Redfield (Christopher Shyer).—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
21 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
Thesaurus Entries Near gangbanger
Cite this Entry
“Gangbanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangbanger. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
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