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

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Etymology

Origin of gangsta

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

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Compare meaning

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

• gangster vs. gangsta

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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

Once a polarizing gangsta rapper and now a beloved pop culture icon, Snoop Dogg has expressed interest in owning a soccer team before.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2025

Meanwhile, across America, Los Angeles was coming into its own as the capital of gangsta rap, led by menacing mogul Suge Knight's Death Row Records, which had Dr Dre and Tupac.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2024

They can just keep playing "Call of Duty" or scrolling social media without having to worry that their "gangsta" leader won't win.

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2024

On an average night, one need engage in only a few minutes of channel surfing during prime-time hours to stumble across images of gangsta culture on television.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

“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

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