as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
London bobbies clearing the streets of hooligans
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hooligan
On Wednesday, a Dortmund bar came under attack by Dutch hooligans, with the intention seemingly being to steal a St George flag.
—
Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 July 2024
Some have focused their anger on the community after some of the hooligans who attacked Israelis could be heard in videos of the attacks speaking Moroccan Arabic and Berber languages native to Morocco.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 18 Nov. 2024
There were also Amsterdam residents who were attacked by Maccabi hooligans.
—Canaan Lidor, Sun Sentinel, 14 Nov. 2024
Banning orders — whereby passports have to be handed in before any England fixture abroad — have also been used to keep the hooligans away, while the Football Association insist tickets are only sold through the official supporters travel club.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 July 2024
Some have focused their anger on the community after some of the hooligans who attacked Israelis could be heard in videos of the attacks speaking Moroccan Arabic and Berber languages native to Morocco.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 18 Nov. 2024
There were also Amsterdam residents who were attacked by Maccabi hooligans.
—Canaan Lidor, Sun Sentinel, 14 Nov. 2024
Banning orders — whereby passports have to be handed in before any England fixture abroad — have also been used to keep the hooligans away, while the Football Association insist tickets are only sold through the official supporters travel club.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooligan
Noun
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The 20th-century Yellowstone Dutton Ranch is under siege from a greedy developer (James Bond star Timothy Dalton) and his thugs in the new season.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
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But authorities now believe the most heinous acts were the handiwork of a one-time nursing student from Puerto Rico who evolved over a decade from teenage burglar to drug trafficker to rampaging thug.—
Martin E. Comas,
Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Only criminal hacking is a crime, and not all hackers are criminals.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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Officers says there are many reasons people use fake plates: criminals hoping to avoid being tracked by law enforcement, evading fines on toll roads, or people trying to find a way to drive without a driver’s license or insurance.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In her ethnographic study of Jamaican gangs, Jaffe argues against seeing the neighborhood strongmen—or dons—as primarily violent, exploitative gangsters.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
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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
Noun
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With Kelby Collins coming in as a transfer, there’s enough depth at bandit for Latham to spend more time at wolf.—
Kennington Smith III,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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Try to distract the bandits one at a time until everyone but Casper is left.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
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There are spells, curses, vendettas, a twist villain, giant dragons who turn into humanoid warriors and many other creatures populating the world of this gargantuan feat of eye-popping computer animation.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2025
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Hackman was among the most accomplished actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.—
SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN,
arkansasonline.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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When Jennifer Lawrence isn’t full-frontally beating the bejesus out of insouciant hoodlums, that is.—
Charles Bramesco,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2025
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However, their dreams are threatened by the hoodlums in the Riverbottom Gang.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
30 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The float that received one of the bigger reactions was a wooden pirate ship built on a RV chassis.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Mar. 2025
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Underneath the pirate is a shadowing within the bolt of a floral motif pattern inspired by the tiles at the Columbia Restaurant.—
Eduardo A. Encina,
Orlando Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hooligan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooligan. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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