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
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Recent Examples of thugs
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, 31 Mar. 2026
No government masked thugs shooting down our neighbors in the streets.
—Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Mar. 2026
No government masked thugs shooting down our neighbors in the streets.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
Suddenly Odin gets a call telling him Korps leader Attila (Eili Harboe) and her thugs are on their way to finish the job.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
The new Homeland Security person needs to unmask the thugs causing harm to families and innocent children.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
The centerpiece is, of course, the melee/dance-off between the ensemble in white tutus and the violent thugs, toe blade and all.
—Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2026
The Democrats, though, have no problems releasing all these bloodthirsty thugs back into the neighborhood.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
In a season 3 teaser, Peter saves Suraj Sharma's Jay Batra from some thugs at a soccer stadium.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
No government masked thugs shooting down our neighbors in the streets.
—Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Mar. 2026
No government masked thugs shooting down our neighbors in the streets.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
Suddenly Odin gets a call telling him Korps leader Attila (Eili Harboe) and her thugs are on their way to finish the job.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
The new Homeland Security person needs to unmask the thugs causing harm to families and innocent children.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
The centerpiece is, of course, the melee/dance-off between the ensemble in white tutus and the violent thugs, toe blade and all.
—Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2026
The Democrats, though, have no problems releasing all these bloodthirsty thugs back into the neighborhood.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Mar. 2026
In a season 3 teaser, Peter saves Suraj Sharma's Jay Batra from some thugs at a soccer stadium.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thugs
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
But CFCs, the solution to an earlier problem, turned out to be villains in disguise.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
These measures are politically popular and ultra-wealthy Big Tech chiefs are easy villains.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Mirrors were such a precious commodity in the heyday of the Venetian Republic that the assassins were dispatched to, well, dispatch any defectors who left La Serenissima and tried to take the secrets of creating that mesmerizing, reflective surface along with them.—
Mark Ellwood,
Robb Report,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Consider Bobbi, one of the assassins sent north to find Armando.—
Michael Snyder,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The first pictures McCullin took were of hoodlums and down-and-outs, subjects that reflected his own hardscrabble background.—
Andrew Pulver,
Air Mail,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Aleah and Grasso end up saving Lizzie’s ass and capturing the hoodlums.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Police said the surveillance footage shows the thieves making off with the paintings across the lush gardens of the villa, with the museum’s alarm system sounding in the background.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
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The crime in Parma comes after a series of high-profile heists at major European museums, including a major incident in October in which thieves stole jewels and other items worth $101 million from the Louvre in Paris.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Tim Brinkhof The Past Julius Caesar was once captured by pirates.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Themed weeks include Harry Potter, Star Wars and pirates.—
Jessie Dax-Setkus,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thugs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thugs. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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