as in gangster
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the Mob boss regularly sent his thugs after people who were slow to pay their debts
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Recent Examples of thug
Like other Diablo games, Hades would support cooperative multiplayer, but in the Arkham games, groups of thugs would circle around the Dark Knight, comic-book style, waiting to be punched in the face.
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Jason Schreier, WIRED, 8 Oct. 2024
As young George traverses the city, the viewer glimpses many things that actually happened, including the catastrophic flooding of a Tube station being used as a shelter and the destruction of nightclub Café de Paris, later looted by a crew of thugs led by Stephen Graham’s Albert.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024
But just as ruthless gang leader Mason (Mekhi Phifer) and his thugs arrive to tie up their loose ends, Shaw rescues her.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024
The second season is a heart-pumping succession of such intricate action scenes in which Park and Han enthusiastically battle both monsters and thugs.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for thug 
Jason Schreier, WIRED, 8 Oct. 2024
As young George traverses the city, the viewer glimpses many things that actually happened, including the catastrophic flooding of a Tube station being used as a shelter and the destruction of nightclub Café de Paris, later looted by a crew of thugs led by Stephen Graham’s Albert.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024
But just as ruthless gang leader Mason (Mekhi Phifer) and his thugs arrive to tie up their loose ends, Shaw rescues her.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024
The second season is a heart-pumping succession of such intricate action scenes in which Park and Han enthusiastically battle both monsters and thugs.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for thug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thug
Noun
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Rolling with the sound of Slo-Be Bryant 3, one of the great West Coast tapes of the 2020s, Slo-Be’s steely, ominous murmurs give his sentimental gangster rap the air of sorcery.Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 9 Dec. 2024
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It is described as an epic crime series about the most powerful gangster in history to ever turn state’s evidence and an in-depth look at the inner workings of the Mafia.Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The film focuses on young Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) — who's accidentally left home alone over the holidays — and his clever plans to outwit a pair of criminals trying to rob his home on Christmas Eve.Athena Sobhan, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024
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Trump has said deportations will focus on criminals first, as immigration enforcement has since former President Barack Obama's presidency.Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Or even an appearance from Tom Holland’s Peter Parker that would mean two hours haven’t been wasted watching this forgettable origin tale of a villain who’s not really THAT bad.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
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The news comes a couple days after Variety reported that a film about the Batman villain was coming down the pike.Bethy Squires, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Many others have expressed condemnation and voiced disgust with those showing support for the alleged assassin.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
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There was little chance The Day of the Jackal, Peacock and Sky’s remake of Fred Zinnemann’s classic 1973 thriller, was going to do its titular assassin dirty in the end, especially since it was already announced the hit series (now a Golden Globe nominee!) would be getting a second season.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Guided by Kudrow’s Penelope, the bandits embarked on epic adventures while evil forces were an obstacle.Marc Berman, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
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The bagel at the base of her breakfast bandit has a direct connection to her youth: The dough is prepared daily at A&S Bagels in Franklin Square, N.Y., not far from the streets where Chersevani developed a taste for a bagel and schmear.Tim Carman, Washington Post, 25 July 2024
Noun
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Three thieves attacked a man in a strong-arm robbery that netted $500,000 in jewelry, only for an Apple AirTag to lead police to two suspects in Queens, cops said on Friday.Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024
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Security camera footage shows thieves running off with packages delivered to a home or even brazenly posing as a homeowner to accept an item directly from the delivery person.Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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However, their dreams are threatened by the hoodlums in the Riverbottom Gang.EW.com, EW.com, 30 Nov. 2024
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While Muhammad Ali made his professional boxing comeback with a win against Jerry Quarry at Atlanta’s Municipal Auditorium on October 26, 1970, a group of hoodlums robbed the Black Mafia of more than $1 million in cash and jewelry at a nearby after-party.Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024
Noun
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This small doohickey works with Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery, an exclusive Prime member benefit that protects your packages from porch pirates and increment weather.Marc Saltzman, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024
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Zoom out: Also beware of virtual porch pirates, as one in five delivery package scam attempts starts via text message or messaging apps like WhatsApp or iMessage.Carrie Shepherd, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near thug
Cite this Entry
“Thug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thug. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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