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.
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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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Yes, that is Canet playing the paragliding avenger, Franck, who’s trying to free his abducted pregnant wife, Léo (Stéphane Caillard), from a blackmailing thug.Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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His family told the local press that the man responsible for his death was a gangster from a rival group who had been living in exile in South Africa.Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2025
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The group’s chairman is John Chan, a former Chinatown gangster convicted of human trafficking and drug smuggling charges in the mid-2000s who has since become influential in New York politics.Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Other potential responses focus on the perpetrators rather than the puppeteers, prosecuting the petty criminals who carry out acts of sabotage or, in the Baltic Sea, boarding and impounding the offending vessel, as Finland did recently, and following up with a court case.Tamar Jacoby, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
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In her petition, Conley wrote that deploying CHP officers and Solano County sheriff's deputies to Vallejo could help address crime, serve as a deterrent to potential criminals and provide support to an overworked police force.Louis Casiano, Fox News, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Also tossed in are picturesque but gratuitous use of famous tourist landmarks as background, near-superheroic training montages, credible intimate character dynamics, a ruthless villain (Johan Heldenbergh as Vanaken) and action that in the home stretch goes absurdly over-the-top.Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
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And though Young and (especially) the perpetrators of the massacre are clearly the villains of the piece, their past history at least partly explains their choices.Keith Phipps, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Having said that, Shinobi already means assassin so the name is a bit redundant.Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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The actor and martial arts master plays Caine, a blind assassin who uses advanced hearing to beat-up bad guys in creative and brutal ways, as well as - what else? - a cane.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 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 20 Jan. 2025.
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