as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
London bobbies clearing the streets of hooligans
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hooligans
Passengers could only stare out the windows as about a dozen hooligans jumped atop the bus while others sprayed it with graffiti, including on the bus' windshield.
—
Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Violence in European soccer has subsided; English hooligans now seem almost quaint.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Initially, police believed the attack on Brobbey’s car to be intimidation from hooligans associated with Feyenoord, the Rotterdam club who are Ajax’s fiercest rivals.
—Simon Hughes, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
The cries mixed with disturbances, the chants of encouragement with shouts from the police and hooligans.
—Esteban Campanela, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Violence in European soccer has subsided; English hooligans now seem almost quaint.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Initially, police believed the attack on Brobbey’s car to be intimidation from hooligans associated with Feyenoord, the Rotterdam club who are Ajax’s fiercest rivals.
—Simon Hughes, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
The cries mixed with disturbances, the chants of encouragement with shouts from the police and hooligans.
—Esteban Campanela, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooligans
Noun
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The thugs would insinuate themselves into the confidence of wayfarers and, when a favorable opportunity presented itself, strangle them by throwing a handkerchief or noose around their necks.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
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No government masked thugs shooting down our neighbors in the streets.—
Diego Parrado,
Vanity Fair,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Göring, played by Russell Crowe, is the troubling centerpiece of James Vanderbilt’s ambitious film devoted to the trial of the major Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg in 1945–1946.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Also included is a 13% increase in funding for the Department of Justice to focus on violent criminals and a $481 million increase in funding to enhance aviation safety and support an air traffic controller hiring surge.—
LISA MASCARO,
Arkansas Online,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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They get captured by Hungarian gangsters and have to fight (and kill) their way out of an inn run by a shady former dance prodigy (Uma Thurman).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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Prosecutors used details from the home takeover to argue for a lengthy prison term, describing how Serrano and other gangsters took advantage of an 84-year-old woman who had dementia.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Set against mountainous landscapes and rural lakes, the story follows a wandering swordsman who is falsely accused of stealing a shipment of gold and must unravel a web of intrigue involving bandits, palace guards and corrupt officials while attempting to clear his name.—
Lin Ying-Hsuan,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
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Alongside attacks by bandits, Nigeria is also plagued by an insurgency fought by the Boko Haram extremist group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But CFCs, the solution to an earlier problem, turned out to be villains in disguise.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
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These measures are politically popular and ultra-wealthy Big Tech chiefs are easy villains.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hooligans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooligans. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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