thug
Americannoun
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thugs
plural
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a violent, lawless, or vicious person, especially one who commits a crime such as assault, robbery, or murder.
It wasn't uncommon for hired thugs to intimidate shop owners until they paid up.
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(sometimes initial capital letter) one of a former group of professional robbers and murderers in India who strangled their victims.
noun
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a tough and violent man, esp a criminal
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(sometimes capital) (formerly) a member of an organization of robbers and assassins in India who typically strangled their victims
Usage
The word thug has had racial and cultural overtones since its adoption into the English language. It entered English during the British colonial period to describe a particular gang of criminals in India, but from the beginning, the otherness of the Indian robbers was intrinsic to the narrative about British colonial victims. In American English, the word is disproportionately applied to nonwhite perpetrators of violence or crime. White teens disturbing the peace at a party with loud music are more likely to be called troublemakers or hooligans. Their Black peers are more likely to be labeled thugs for the same offense. And following this common racialized usage, thug is used by some and interpreted by many as a code word for Black. In extreme cases, thug is chosen as a dog whistle to imply that Black people are generally prone to violence or criminality. However, there is also a reclaimed sense of thug within the Black community, and particularly in the hip-hop community, one that acknowledges the violence implicit in the label while also celebrating toughness and street smarts. Because thug has many implied connotations that may change depending on who is using the word and who is being described by it, it’s important to critically consider the context and tone around each particular instance of its use to truly understand what is being communicated.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of thug
First recorded in 1800–10; from Hindi, Marathi ṭhag “swindler, cheat, rogue,” perhaps from Sanskrit sthaga- “a cheat,” from sthagati “he conceals”
Explanation
A thug is a bad guy or a bully, especially a violent one. A thug might break into someone's house, push its owners around, and steal their TV. It's hard to reason with thugs, since they'd rather intimidate and physically hurt people than talk. A playground bully is one kind of thug, and an armed robber is an even more dangerous one. The noun thug may have its oldest roots in the Sanskrit word sthaga-s, "cunning or fraudulent," and it's definitely related to the Marathi and Hindi thag, "cheat or swindler." The earliest use of thug, from 1810, was "member of a murdering gang of robbers in India."
Vocabulary lists containing thug
Dear Martin
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"Yummy" by G. Neri
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Ghost Boys
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But as long as Mr. Cabello remains the thug behind the throne, any such change would be cosmetic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026
The pair were demanding action against Paty, who they condemned as a "thug" and wanted removed.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2024
Before long, he had booked roles as a Greek god in “Clash of the Titans,” a thug in Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” and lovestruck farmer Andy in Stephen Frears’ “Tamara Drewe.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2024
"But the idea to pay her thug money to try to help protect her this and that, for what?" he added.
From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2024
I started to act like a thug even if I wasn’t one....Part of it was me trying to be hard, the other part was them treating me like a criminal.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Ms. Crabapple’s great-grandfather, Samuel Rothbort, was a Russian-born Bundist who, after tangling with local thugs, immigrated to the U.S. and became a painter and chicken farmer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
"They began organising traffic and clearing the markets, removing the street vendors who were blocking the roads. We felt protected from thugs and thieves."
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025
The safety-conscious Monahan would not open her door to just anybody, especially not to hard-looking thugs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025
Sometimes the best way to show leadership is to just say no, especially to bullies, thieves and thugs.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2025
"The man was defending himself from thugs," said Tison's neighbor April Henry.
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
