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
Trump responds after judge tries to stop deportation flights with violent gangbangers.
—
Fox News, 17 Mar. 2025
Green was living with extended family in North Carolina, then lived in a domestic violence shelter and a homeless shelter when his mother regained custody, then was placed into foster care before living with a cousin whose sons were gangbangers.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025
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
Fox News, 17 Mar. 2025
Green was living with extended family in North Carolina, then lived in a domestic violence shelter and a homeless shelter when his mother regained custody, then was placed into foster care before living with a cousin whose sons were gangbangers.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangbanger
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
-
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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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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There were radicals, activists, intellectuals as well as common criminals, the usual power brokers, and always a mob lurking in the background.—
Phil Terrana,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Mar. 2025
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The company entices the criminal to click on a tracking link, which provides information about their location.—
Rachel Hale,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
-
There are no villains or scary scenes in this gentle story about a young witch finding her way in the world.—
Anna Earl,
Parents,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This stony assassin may well be orbiting the sun at this very moment, careening down a celestial path that could, one day, intersect with ours.—
Corinne Purtill,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Police cars arrived within minutes and the assassin was arrested.—
Rachel DeSantis,
People.com,
22 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
Cite this Entry
“Gangbanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangbanger. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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