as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the argument that the DEA needs to focus more on the kingpins of the drug trade and less on the gangbangers in the street
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Recent Examples of gangbanger
The high court said that while the gangbangers were entitled to a habeas corpus hearing before being booted, the hearings had to be held where the gang members are.
—
Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 12 Apr. 2025
Continue reading … Click here for more cartoons… MEDIA
RETURN TO SENDER – Bondi's warning to those not all in on America as Dems push gangbanger’s return to US.
—FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Green was living with extended family in North Carolina, then lived in a domestic violence shelter and a homeless shelter when his mother regained custody, then was placed into foster care before living with a cousin whose sons were gangbangers.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025
The gangbangers are accused of waging a bloody two-year turf war resulting in five victims in nine shooting incidents, including a wounded man who was paralyzed from the waist down, according to authorities.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 5 Dec. 2024
Trump responds after judge tries to stop deportation flights with violent gangbangers.
—Fox News, 17 Mar. 2025
Green was living with extended family in North Carolina, then lived in a domestic violence shelter and a homeless shelter when his mother regained custody, then was placed into foster care before living with a cousin whose sons were gangbangers.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025
Aurora, Colorado, has been plagued with crime linked to the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) and now the city’s mayor is accusing his Denver counterpart of not being truthful about how the gangbangers – and other migrants – ended up in his city in the first place.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
Listen to this article Loading your audio article Two gangbangers responsible for killing a 22-month-old boy at a Brooklyn cookout have been convicted of the tot’s slaying, in a pair of trials that covered an array of death and destruction caused by the bloodthirsty Hoolie gang.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2024
Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 12 Apr. 2025
Continue reading … Click here for more cartoons… MEDIA
RETURN TO SENDER – Bondi's warning to those not all in on America as Dems push gangbanger’s return to US.
—FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Green was living with extended family in North Carolina, then lived in a domestic violence shelter and a homeless shelter when his mother regained custody, then was placed into foster care before living with a cousin whose sons were gangbangers.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025
The gangbangers are accused of waging a bloody two-year turf war resulting in five victims in nine shooting incidents, including a wounded man who was paralyzed from the waist down, according to authorities.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 5 Dec. 2024
Trump responds after judge tries to stop deportation flights with violent gangbangers.
—Fox News, 17 Mar. 2025
Green was living with extended family in North Carolina, then lived in a domestic violence shelter and a homeless shelter when his mother regained custody, then was placed into foster care before living with a cousin whose sons were gangbangers.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025
Aurora, Colorado, has been plagued with crime linked to the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) and now the city’s mayor is accusing his Denver counterpart of not being truthful about how the gangbangers – and other migrants – ended up in his city in the first place.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
Listen to this article Loading your audio article Two gangbangers responsible for killing a 22-month-old boy at a Brooklyn cookout have been convicted of the tot’s slaying, in a pair of trials that covered an array of death and destruction caused by the bloodthirsty Hoolie gang.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangbanger
Noun
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Summit, June 10 Image So Far Gone by Jess Walter Rhys Kinnick, a journalist and a recluse, is living off the grid in the woods near Spokane, Wash., when his grandchildren are kidnapped by thugs.—
Laura Thompson,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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Everything changes, however, when two thugs come to visit and promptly beat the ever-loving heck out of Hank at the front door.—
Emlyn Travis Published,
EW.com,
21 May 2025
Noun
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Polish media have also reported on his connections to gangsters and the world of prostitution.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 May 2025
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Historically speaking, a half-Mexican woman isn’t usually the first in line to write a story about a violently ambitious gangster, which is what excited me most about it.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
28 May 2025
Noun
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Or even those Californians, such as many in San Francisco and Los Angeles, who are just fed up with the perception that California is soft on criminals.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
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To boost deportations, immigration officials have detained workers at their homes and jobs — a method that, in the past, had been reserved for only the most violent criminals.—
Ana Ley,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
New threats emerge, including a ruthless new villain (Bill Skarsgård) and a blind assassin from Wick’s past, played by Donnie Yen in a standout performance.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
6 June 2025
-
Nicholas Hoult plays the film’s villain, the megalomaniac super-genius Lex Luthor.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
New threats emerge, including a ruthless new villain (Bill Skarsgård) and a blind assassin from Wick’s past, played by Donnie Yen in a standout performance.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
6 June 2025
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The operation, made up of Belarusian contract killers, runs a ballet academy that is a front for their assassin training facility.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
6 June 2025
Noun
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There were corridos about the exploits of bandits and outlaws, some of them Robin Hood-esque characters who outwitted oafish authorities and helped the poor.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2025
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The Golden State Warriors came out like bandits to open the third quarter of Game 2 on Thursday, pulling to within seven of the Timberwolves early in the frame at Target Center.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gangbanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangbanger. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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