hooligan
noun
hoo·li·gan
ˈhü-li-gən 
plural hooligans
: a usually young man who engages in rowdy or violent behavior especially as part of a group or gang : ruffian, hoodlum
We had four great beefy hooligans on to us when Linton got his tooth knocked out.—
P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse"At school I ran with the hooligans and tried to act tough."—John Keen
John KeenMore recently the tabloid press dubbed English football hooligans "lager louts" as if it was the fizzy beer that was the problem rather than that many supporters were more interested in fighting than football.—Henry Jeffreys
Henry JeffreysExamples of hooligan in a Sentence
London bobbies clearing the streets of hooligans
Recent Examples on the Web
After the know-nothing county board opts to raze the baseball diamond to make way for a school, the teams meet for one final game at their beloved Soldier’s Field, with girlfriends, kids, and local hooligans as intermittent spectators.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
More menacingly, anti-Semitic Polish-nationalist hooligans have mounting success enforcing a boycott against Jewish merchants in villages across the region.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
After the know-nothing county board opts to raze the baseball diamond to make way for a school, the teams meet for one final game at their beloved Soldier’s Field, with girlfriends, kids, and local hooligans as intermittent spectators.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Listen to this article Two headphone-snatching hooligans are being sought for robbing seven people in a weeklong spree in lower Manhattan and Staten Island, police said Thursday.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
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.
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
More menacingly, anti-Semitic Polish-nationalist hooligans have mounting success enforcing a boycott against Jewish merchants in villages across the region.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
After the know-nothing county board opts to raze the baseball diamond to make way for a school, the teams meet for one final game at their beloved Soldier’s Field, with girlfriends, kids, and local hooligans as intermittent spectators.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Listen to this article Two headphone-snatching hooligans are being sought for robbing seven people in a weeklong spree in lower Manhattan and Staten Island, police said Thursday.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hooligan
Cite this Entry
“Hooligan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hooligan. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hooligan
noun
hoo·li·gan
ˈhü-li-gən
Etymology
perhaps from the name of Patrick Hooligan, an Irish hoodlum who lived in London around 1898
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share