Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

gangland

American  
[gang-land, -luhnd] / ˈgæŋˌlænd, -lənd /

noun

  1. the world of organized crime; criminal underworld.

gangland British  
/ ˈɡæŋˌlænd, -lənd /

noun

  1. the criminal underworld

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of gangland

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; gang 1 + land

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.

One of Scotland's most high-profile gangland figures has been deported to Amsterdam, 10 days after his airport arrest in Bali.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Congress first restricted machine guns in 1934 in response to the gangland murders during Prohibition, including the Valentine’s Day massacre in Chicago.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2024

Like the cops, crooks and gangland toughs who populate his books, Don Winslow has something of a street fighter’s mentality.

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2024

Students normally picked comedies, but Ashanti went with "Colors," the 1988 drama about Los Angeles cops patrolling gangland beats.

From Salon • Dec. 21, 2022

Then from the blasphemous mouth of the king of gangland there came a shriek of awful fear.

From Astounding Stories, March, 1931 by Various

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.