hooligan
Americannoun
-
hooligans
plural
adjective
noun
Usage
What does hooligan mean? A hooligan is a person who intentionally makes trouble or breaks the law with rowdy, unruly behavior, especially with other hooligans. Hooligan is synonymous with ruffian and hoodlum, but all three words can sound a little too outdated to capture the seriousness of the trouble that such people can cause. Specifically, the term hooligan is applied to members of groups who use sporting events, especially soccer (football) games, as an opportunity to intentionally cause trouble or incite violence. The practice of doing so is called hooliganism. The term is most often used in the plural because it almost always implies that there is a group of troublemakers—it is somewhat uncommon to refer to someone acting alone as a hooligan. Example: The latest match was canceled after hooligans started a brawl outside the stadium.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hooligan
First recorded in 1895–1900; perhaps after the Irish surname Hooligan, but corroborating evidence is lacking
Explanation
A hooligan is a rowdy person who causes trouble for others. Hooligans are similar to bullies and thugs. This is a slightly old-fashioned word for a troublemaker, especially a violent troublemaker. People who start a fight during a sports event are acting like hooligans. In fact, this word is used often for people who start fights at soccer matches, but anyone acting rowdy or obnoxious could be considered a hooligan. Often, hooligans are gang members or criminals. If you see a group of hooligans, it’s probably a good idea to avoid them.
Vocabulary lists containing hooligan
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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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:
A key Olympic sponsorship by Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has sparked a row in Greece, where the tycoon is on trial in a hooligan violence case.
From Barron's ● Dec. 18, 2025
A picture from social media, later deleted, also showed him as part of a far-right football hooligan group called the "New Society Boys", since disbanded.
From BBC ● May 8, 2024
From 1966 World Cup champions to persistent underachievers dogged by a rump of hooligan supporters, the team became a source of national anxiety.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2023
Anke Wettengel, a schoolteacher, called such labels the equivalent of focusing on hooligan fans of a soccer team — not a reflection of normal supporters, like her.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
“Shady, I’ve a bone to pick with you. That hooligan you’ve got staying here—” She stopped, realizing that Shady’s saloon was full of people who she was fairly certain were not his usual crowd.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
And on Tuesday the North Korean leader's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, demanded an apology over the incident from the "hooligans of the enemy state" responsible.
From Barron's ● Jan. 14, 2026
Monahan let Graham in, and the hooligans followed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025
And now their saint, their city’s one claim to fame, was being carried off by some hooligans from the heel of the Italian boot.
From Slate ● Dec. 15, 2024
"We don't have a place for hooligans in our game," said Stick.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2023
You’ll go there every Saturday morning and that’ll keep you off the streets.That’ll keep you from wandering around Limerick with hooligans.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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.
