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:
I think that’s the first time that Yasmin became a gangster.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 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
He appeared last year as cold-blooded gangster Colorado in crime thriller Caught Stealing alongside Austin Butler, Regina King and Zoë Kravitz; and as Happy Gilmour's eccentric golf caddie Oscar in Adam Sandler's comedy sequel.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
“He was a cinephile without us, at the time, even knowing what that term meant. He would bring back really good films. He loved the gangster genre,” Vargas says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
He’s wearing a weird hat, one of those old gangster movie ones, and there’s white surfer hair sticking out every which way under it.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Its members have mocked hard-shell cholos and gangsters, often by placing them in funny scenarios.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
And it didn't help that public perception continued to associate tattoos with gangsters and organised crime.
From BBC ● May 29, 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
Officials no longer talk about eliminating the PCC but managing its uneasy coexistence with the state—often leaving investigators frustrated or stunned by the links between gangsters and the state itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
It was not easy to gain Americans’ sympathy when you’d spent years cutting off their liquor supply, but articles about a tiny woman bringing gangsters to justice made their departments look like the good guys.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
