gangster
Americannoun
-
gangsters
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of gangster
Compare meaning
How does gangster compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A gangster is a member of a criminal gang. Gangsters are sometimes called mobsters. A gang is a criminal organization, and a member of such a group is a gangster. Gangsters work together to commit robberies and break the law in other ways. Many famous movies, such as The Godfather, are about gangsters. This word often refers specifically to members of criminal gangs of the 1920s and 30s, when organized crime frequently involved the smuggling of alcohol.
Vocabulary lists containing gangster
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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:
In a gangster movie we’d call it muscle: large men with misshapen heads who do the grunt work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
“You’re a sociopath,” he flatly tells a Bristol gangster.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
El Dorado is controlled by a gangster known only by his first name, Fabio, a Pablo Escobar-type character who has ingratiated himself with locals through acts of charity.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
One X user posted a meme with a photo of fictional Italian gangster Tony Soprano saying, “I don’t want any California bulls—.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
“He looks like a gangster to me,” Mrs. Levy said.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Yestin Duran, a 31-year-old beverage vendor, said she feared that "gangsters and robbers can cross over" more easily from Brazil.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
People are carefully trying to connect the dots, trying to point to places within Dylan’s work where he’s mentioned gangsters or specific moments in American history.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
Some of its most notable inmates have included notorious gangsters Al Capone, Mickey Cohen and George "Machine Gun" Kelly.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
In clipped, fast-moving scenes, Mr. Sayles shifts between the boardroom and the assembly line, and radiates out to develop the roles of attendant characters, from journalists to labor activists to gangsters and rumrunners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
In their dark glasses, they look like gangsters in the American movies that sometimes come to town.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
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.
