Thesaurus results for HOODLUM

hoodlum

noun

ˈhüd-ləm

Definition of hoodlum

as in thug

a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang a couple of hoodlums held up the convenience store

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of hoodlum But as Duterte’s father, Vicente, had increasingly gravitated toward Malacañang, his son hung out with the family bodyguards—and crafted the persona of a rough-talking bugoy, or hoodlum, in his native Bisayan tongue. — Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026 These involve raiding the lairs of hoodlum rivals, then singlehandedly dissuading them from competition. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025 However, hoodlums and thugs who throw objects at the players give up their rights and should be removed, charged, and possibly jailed. — Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025 Somehow, that makes the notion of hoodlums stopping by to order Shnack Wrapz and Cheezecake Shakez and then pillage our neighorhoods seem even more unlikely. — Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 19 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hoodlum

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodlum

Noun

These low-level thugs typically are not believed to be formally aligned with Iran.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Borisov, who broke through as a thug with a poet’s soul in the 2024 Anora, vests Ilya with the same spiritual contours.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of thug

Noun

Certain alleyways were favored for chases and gangster murders.

— Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
When citizens rioted in 1918 because the prices of essential commodities such as rice had spiralled out of control, gangsters were hired to crack down on the protesters.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of gangster

Noun

That same month, criminals nabbed a $4 million diamond necklace from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK).

— Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
For decades, Hollywood actor Danny Trejo’s bread and butter was playing gangsters, prison inmates and other assorted criminals.

— Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

Rival fans were quick to jump all over this fact, given that both the Panthers and the Tkachuk brothers were seen as polarizing villains throughout the NHL.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Is that the most difficult thing for you as the showrunner of a political show today — a president as a villain?

— Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of villain

Noun

The father pulls over, and the car is immediately swarmed over by bandits, who brutally kill him — plus his wife and two kids — with no mercy.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
In the decade of violent conflicts that followed, attacks on border towns and seizures of American property by revolutionaries and bandits prompted the United States to send two military expeditions into Mexico.

— Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of bandit

Noun

The thieves also damaged the main office building with copper wiring and components removed from rooftop systems and air conditioning units, police said.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
The basic set-up, for years, was just a comic ripping off a joke and performing it on stage; the infamous mid-2000s Comedy Store stand-off between Joe Rogan and alleged joke thief Carlos Mencia is one of the most famous examples.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of thief

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“Hoodlum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodlum. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hoodlum

noun

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