as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
Al Capone remains one of the most notorious gangsters in American history
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gangster
In the aftermath, Sheriff Baker reportedly bent over the gangster’s body, lifted the eyepatch and retrieved a keepsake: John Ashley’s glass eye.
—
Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2025
In her ethnographic study of Jamaican gangs, Jaffe argues against seeing the neighborhood strongmen—or dons—as primarily violent, exploitative gangsters.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Lives are literally on the line in Vivian Qu’s genre hybrid Girls on Wire, a surprisingly gritty study of people left behind or living in the margins that fuses gangster realism with social drama and leavens both with a dash of unexpected humor.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2025
The collection is inspired by alluring gangster films that are reimagined through the world of LaQuan Smith.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangster
Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2025
In her ethnographic study of Jamaican gangs, Jaffe argues against seeing the neighborhood strongmen—or dons—as primarily violent, exploitative gangsters.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Lives are literally on the line in Vivian Qu’s genre hybrid Girls on Wire, a surprisingly gritty study of people left behind or living in the margins that fuses gangster realism with social drama and leavens both with a dash of unexpected humor.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2025
The collection is inspired by alluring gangster films that are reimagined through the world of LaQuan Smith.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gangster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangster
Noun
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Jewish people in the U.S. have adopted a position of ‘support Netanyahu and his thugs irrespective of the political cost’ approach.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
14 Mar. 2025
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The thug in the seat next to him had 14 prior arrests and went by the name of killer.—
NPR,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The film follows an American student (Seberg) in Paris who loves a dangerous criminal (Belmondo) obsessed with Humphrey Bogart.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
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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In the comics, Sinestro starts off as a member of the Green Lantern Corp, eventually becoming a villain and starting his own Sinestro Corp.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
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The real villains, says Mozaffarian, are excessive amounts of refined grains, starches, and sugars, as well as salt and other preservatives, chemical additives, and contaminants from packaging.—
Sarah Boden,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Matt Dillon as Bob Hughes, lead junkie bandit of Drugstore Cowboy would also slot right in now, as would the late River Phoenix as conflicted hustler Mike Waters in Idaho.—
Matt Thompson,
SPIN,
3 Feb. 2025
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Want to try and take on a bandit camp but don’t want to risk dying?—
George Yang,
Rolling Stone,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Reeves is John Wick, but that doesn't mean that the world that is currently being built around the famed assassin doesn't have others that could act as de facto John Wick.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
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In his presentation on Monday, Hochman drew a parallel between the Menendez case and the case of Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin of Robert Kennedy.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Russo also tasked him to try and shut down a gambling operation at the Gran Caffe in Lynbrook, L.I., which was funneling money to both the Bonanno and Genovese families, the mobster testified.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2025
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These dream-memories throw us directly into the action with scenes involving mobsters, a neglectful father, and an explosion—all before skipping back to unrelated conversations in modern day.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
23 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangster. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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