gangster

noun

ˈgaŋ-stər How to pronounce gangster (audio)
Definition of gangsternext
as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang Al Capone remains one of the most notorious gangsters in American history

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 gangster Yet Francis Ford Coppola's original sprawling gangster epic is undeniable. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026 Madonna was stopped dead in her tracks by the strapping 30-year-old auteur of the nouvelle vague gangster movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, an eye-popping directorial debut. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 5 July 2026 That’s not to say that there aren’t some similarities between the Gotham City gangster in The Penguin and Los Angeles private investigator of Sugar. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2026 By telling a relatively straightforward story that blends real people from the era of the Gotti Mafia family with imagined characters, Martin Scorsese's dramedy biopic about a kid who falls in love with the gangster life is as even-keeled as anything the director has made. — Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for gangster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangster
  1. thug
  2. criminal
  3. villain
  4. bandit
  5. assassin
  6. mobster
Noun
  • Alyssa Thomas' thug-like play, punching Caitlin Clark in the throat and kneeing her in the groin, is indefensible.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
  • Ditto Hugh Jackman’s unerring performance — perhaps his finest dramatic work yet — as a savage, unfeeling thug and unrepentant murderer and thief.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • Data that appears to be compliance information to a regulator can appear to be a target list to a criminal.
    — Susie Violet Ward, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • The Colorado attorney general oversees more than 700 attorneys and staff and manages legal manners spanning consumer protection, civil rights, criminal, water, constitutional and environmental law.
    — Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • There are probably easier ways to mount a crime thriller steeped in gritty realism than centering it on a villain made of gas.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
  • That doesn’t mean Netherlands players are villains, or anything less than heroes for their country.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Instead, most are romantic stories about young lovers separated by fate, and the rest are swashbuckling adventures full of bandits and pirates.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
  • Fantastical adventures ensue as the pair encounter a mysterious woman, Alexandra, who has lost her son, along with coyotes, bandits, and some pretty big secrets.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 29 June 2026
Definition of bandit
Noun
  • Julie has returned her old ways as an assassin, whilst navigating an equally perilous dating scene, while Edward’s honeymoon with Kayla (Shalom Brune-Franklin) doesn’t go quite as planned.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 July 2026
  • In Ride or Die, Waddingham plays Judith Burton, who lives a double life as an assassin.
    — Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
Definition of assassin
Noun
  • In Breaking Bear, a family of furry forest dwellers use everything in their power — including high explosives and drug money — to fight the frackers, mobsters, and a monstrous wolf pack threatening to destroy their home.
    — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 25 June 2026
  • One of the trailers has some shots of Vanessa Williams posing as a dead body, much like the mobster and his wife at the start of the movie.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2026
Definition of mobster

Browse Nearby Words

gangstas
gangster
gangsterism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangster. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gangster

Nglish: Translation of gangster for Spanish Speakers

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