gangsta

American  

[gang-stuh] / ˈgæŋ stə /

noun

• gangstas
  plural

1. a member of an urban street gang.

   He was a true gangsta, and he fought like a soldier for his turf.

   Synonyms:

   cholo, homie, homeboy, thug

2. gangsta rap.

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adjective

1. of or characteristic of urban street gangs, their members, or gangsta rap.

   There was no hiding his prison record or his gangsta tattoos from potential employers.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gangstas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gangsta

First recorded in 1985–90; representing the typically r-less African American Vernacular English pronunciation of gangster ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does gangsta compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gangster vs. gangsta

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gangsta gangstas

When no one is around, the doleful ex-judge listens to Italian gangsta rap, and sometimes even raps along with it, suggesting he isn’t quite the stereotype others assume him to be.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

Her tastes were eclectic - picking Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus as her favourite piece on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs - but also later speaking of her liking for gangsta rap.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2025

Even as he revives his old gangsta mystique on “Missionary,” talking about family seems to bring something tender out in Snoop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2024

All his canny media moves of the last 20 years have allowed him to stay in touch with his gangsta roots while broadening his reach to world sport’s biggest stage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2024

Judging from the company he keeps, he’s a gangsta in sheep’s clothing.

From "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes

“At odd hours of the night, Roscoe’s hops with hip-hop gangstas and old-time crooners, funkateers and exponents of new-jack swing, athletes and bodyguards,” Gold wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2022

Donning bathrobe and slippers, he devotes a verse to hustlers and gangstas while moving in synchronized step with dancers down a hotel hallway.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2016

Hip-hop heads of a certain age — call us OGs, original gangstas — remember where we were when N.W.A.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 12, 2015

No starlets, no moguls, no gangstas, no DJs… The 300C is gaudy, preposterous and dangerously addictive: essentially it's Made in Chelsea on wheels.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 9, 2012

I walked around the karate kickers and the gangstas and pushed open a heavy wooden door.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor