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
  • But even as the ways criminals use ransomware are set to evolve, the actual makeup of the technology isn’t expected to change too drastically in the coming years.
    Ryan Browne, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2024
  • The regulation, which would require small businesses to disclose the identity of people who directly or indirectly own a control a company, is designed to prevent criminals from hiding illicit activity conducted through shell companies or opaque ownership structures, the Treasury said.
    Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2024
Definition of criminals
Noun
  • Eventually, the two men — and the small army of gangsters and mercenaries Gi-hun has hired with his massive cash reserves — team up.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Worried that this year’s game will begin soon, Gi-hun ups the reward to 1 billion won (around $695,000) and intensifies the search until basically all of Seoul’s gangsters are working for him.
    Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024
Definition of gangsters
Noun
  • The next big bad in Jared Leto's motley crew of sinister screen villains has finally been announced.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 21 Dec. 2024
  • For others, deep cuts are remembering the names of random Ninja Turtle villains.
    Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 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
  • Perhaps the most controversial event was the killing off of John Dutton in a murder staged by assassins as a suicide.
    Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Trinity first established herself on the national stage as a contestant on Drag Race season 6 in 2014, ultimately placing seventh in the overall competition after excelling at the stand-up comedy challenge and cementing her legacy as one of the season's lip-sync assassins.
    EW.com, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Definition of assassins
Noun
  • Loser Ranger, a story that sees one of those random goons secretly infiltrate the series' Power Rangers equivalent to destroy it from the inside.
    Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
  • Loser Ranger What if the random goons that the Power Rangers fought against actually fought for change?
    Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Definition of goons
Noun
  • In Texas, the parole division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice identifies offenders six months before their initial eligibility and notice is sent to both trial officials and victim family members.
    Olivia Garrett, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025
  • In the state of Louisiana, a DUI offense is considered a felony on third and subsequent convictions, according to Louisiana Court Records, although first-time DUI offenders can face felony charges in instances where a death or violation of child endangerment laws is involved.
    Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2025
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 20 Jan. 2025.

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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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