1 thug | Definition of thug

thug

noun
\ ˈthəg How to pronounce thug (audio) \

Definition of thug

: a brutal ruffian or assassin : gangster, tough

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Other Words from thug

thuggery \ ˈthə-​g(ə-​)rē How to pronounce thuggery (audio) \ noun
thuggish \ ˈthə-​gish How to pronounce thuggish (audio) \ adjective

Examples of thug in a Sentence

He was beaten and robbed by street thugs. the Mob boss regularly sent his thugs after people who were slow to pay their debts

Recent Examples on the Web

While Chechen thugs initially were blamed, the Russian government much later pointed to Khodorkovsky and his right-hand man Leonid Nevzlin as architects of the contract killing — an arrest warrant forces Khodorkovsky to remain in exile in London. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Citizen K': Film Review | Venice 2019," 31 Aug. 2019 In the space of 30 hours, thugs have assaulted protest organisers and the police have conducted mass arrests of pro-democracy lawmakers and activists, including me. The Economist, "“We long to see a Hong Kong free from tyranny”," 31 Aug. 2019 Not in a country where the supreme court of India has to step in to force state governments to prevent thugs from stopping the release of a Bollywood movie. Roshan Radhakrishnan, Quartz India, "If you’ve watched “Black-ish,” you know there’ll never be an Indian “Dalit-ish” or “Muslim-ish”," 26 Aug. 2019 Or the Huascas, the roaming thugs who execute his orders. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "The Haunted Street Children of “Tigers Are Not Afraid”," 23 Aug. 2019 Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times Images of masked thugs massing in Hong Kong’s streets. New York Times, "China’s Soft-Power Failure: Condemning Hong Kong’s Protests," 20 Aug. 2019 The country is distorting the context of images on social media to create the impression that the popular movement is the work of a small group of violent thugs. Robert Hackett, Fortune, "Only One Republican Supported That Divisive Election Security Bill. Here’s Why He Voted in Favor—Cyber Saturday," 17 Aug. 2019 Descending, one of the thugs noticed me and with another gave chase. Sam Patten, WIRED, "Kostya and Me: How Sam Patten Got Ensnared in Mueller’s Probe," 14 Aug. 2019 Bohemians, workers, artists, jazz musicians, thugs, and prostitutes fill its pages, but Berlin also has two main characters, both fictional. Sarah Boxer, The New York Review of Books, "Berlin Before the Storm," 7 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thug.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of thug

1810, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for thug

Hindi & Urdu ṭhag, literally, thief

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More Definitions for thug

thug

noun

English Language Learners Definition of thug

: a violent criminal

thug

noun
\ ˈthəg How to pronounce thug (audio) \

Kids Definition of thug

: a violent person or criminal

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More from Merriam-Webster on thug

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with thug

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for thug

Spanish Central: Translation of thug

Nglish: Translation of thug for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of thug for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about thug