gang
1 Americannoun
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gangs
plural
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a group or band.
A gang of boys gathered around the winning pitcher.
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a group of youngsters or adolescents who associate closely, often exclusively, for social reasons, especially such a group engaging in delinquent behavior.
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a group of people with compatible tastes or mutual interests who gather together for social reasons.
I'm throwing a party for the gang I bowl with.
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a group of persons working together; squad; shift.
a gang of laborers.
- Synonyms:
- team
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a group of persons associated for some criminal or other antisocial purpose.
a gang of thieves.
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a set of tools, electronic components or circuits, oars, etc., arranged to work together or simultaneously.
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a group of identical or related items.
verb (used with object)
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to arrange in groups or sets; form into a gang.
to gang illustrations for more economical printing on one sheet.
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to attack in a gang.
verb (used without object)
verb phrase
verb (used without object)
noun
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a group of people who associate together or act as an organized body, esp for criminal or illegal purposes
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an organized group of workmen
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a herd of buffaloes or elks or a pack of wild dogs
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a group of shearers who travel to different shearing sheds, shearing, classing, and baling wool
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a series of similar tools arranged to work simultaneously in parallel
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( as modifier )
a gang saw
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verb
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to form into, become part of, or act as a gang
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(tr) electronics to mount (two or more components, such as variable capacitors) on the same shaft, permitting adjustment by a single control
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of gang1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English gang, gong, Old English gang, gong “manner of going, way, passage”; cognate with Old High German gang, Old Norse gangr, Gothic gagg; cf. gang 2
Origin of gang2
First recorded before 900; Middle English gangen, Old English gangan, gongan; cognate with Old High German gangan, Old Norse ganga, Gothic gaggan; cf. gang 1 (noun derivative from same root)
Explanation
A gang is an association or group of criminals. Often, members of one gang will fight violently with another gang. People join gangs for the sense of belonging, as well as for protection by other members. A gang usually claims an area as its territory and defends it against other gangs or unaffiliated criminals. You can also use gang for a group of friends or workers: "A whole gang of us went to the movies together." The Old English root, gang, means "journey." Today's definition comes from the idea of "a band of people traveling together."
Vocabulary lists containing gang
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:
The agency also accused him of gang involvement.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
A police investigation saw inquiries carried out in Poland, Greece, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, France, Scotland and Wales, where the gang had operations or had fled to in the aftermath of the kidnap.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Vaughns’ territory on Summit Avenue has long been associated with a Pasadena gang, the law enforcement sources said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Walter has said he and Johnson came up with the idea for Academy Group as a “womb-to-tomb employment opportunity,” after talking about how to turn gang members into CEOs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
During blackouts, gang members also painted anti-Nazi slogans on ruined walls: “Down with Hitler!”
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
A spate of heists at French museums -- including at the Louvre -- has highlighted inadequate security in some cases and led to questions about whether criminal gangs see them as soft targets.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
That’s thanks to a climactic moment in “The Outsiders” musical in which real water falls from the rafters as teen gangs brawl in a fight filled with rain, mud and stage blood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Meanwhile the other celebrities also proved their worth on the show, not least "hard man" Ross Kemp, the former EastEnders actor-turned documentary-maker, whose programmes have focused on gangs and the armed forces.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Scott Calvert and Dan Frosch trace how Romanian gangs built a global racket around a weakness in America’s benefits system and the efforts to stop them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
The Exchange was one of the few remaining parts of the city that hadn’t been divvied up and claimed in the ceaseless skirmishes between Ketterdam’s rival gangs.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
