thugs

noun

Definition of thugsnext
plural of thug
as in criminals
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thugs
  1. criminals
  2. gangsters
  3. villains
  4. bandits
  5. assassins
  6. goons
  7. offenders
Noun
  • Many criminals use generative AI to improve the grammar and believability of their phishing emails and scripts.
    Craig Costigan, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
  • At Tuesday's hearing, Democrats and Republicans were in agreement than dangerous migrant criminals needed to be deported, but they were divided over the idea that undocumented migrants without criminal records should also be removed.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of criminals
Noun
  • This historical event, which aimed to reform secret society gangsters, ended in a riot and resulted in Singapore’s largest trial to date.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2024
  • Finally, talk about how a number of these gangsters like Frank represent were on the opposite side of the law in one area and community builders in another in real life.
    Ronda Racha Penrice, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Oct. 2024
Definition of gangsters
Noun
  • Tired of seeing Hugh Grant plays villains and creeps?
    Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 7 Dec. 2024
  • On Foods That Sabotage Your Sleep Tollemache emphasizes that these seven foods aren’t villains.
    Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
Definition of villains
Noun
  • Several warring factions exist within the Zone, as well as lone bandits and stalkers.
    Issy van der Velde, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024
  • There were also potential issues at Pangong Lake, the location where the bandits are carried by the elephants and find the Mystic in a tree.
    Leila Jordan, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2024
Definition of bandits
Noun
  • Season 1 saw Glover and Maya Erksine portray the eponymous assassins, who were quickly revealed to be just two in a vast network of gig-working specialists who all go by the codenames John Smith and Jane Smith.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024
  • But society might be better off if some workers, like assassins, simply retire.
    Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
Definition of assassins
Noun
  • But the Pretty Woman fairy tale swerves tones and genres midway through after his parents dispatch local goons to rein in the situation.
    Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2024
  • But the truck had been filled with guns by goons, who captured the girl.
    Erica Thompson, TVLine, 20 Oct. 2024
Definition of goons
Noun
  • But even bad songs are tough to whittle into a list and culling some of the worst offenders is highly subjective.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
  • China and Hong Kong were noted as leading offenders, together detaining 135 journalists.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of offenders
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near thugs

thug

thugs

thumb

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Cite this Entry

“Thugs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thugs. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on thugs

Nglish: Translation of thugs for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of thugs for Arabic Speakers

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