hooligan
Americannoun
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 Hooligan is synonymous with ruffian and hoodlum, but all three words can sound a little too outdated to capture the seriousness of the trouble that such people can cause.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
- hooliganism noun
Etymology
Origin of hooligan
First recorded in 1895–1900; perhaps after the Irish surname Hooligan, but corroborating evidence is lacking
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.
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
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
The Dutch soccer federation had imposed a stadium ban on the hooligan but he managed to get in using a ticket bought by a friend.
From Washington Times • Mar. 21, 2023
“Velma, is this the hooligan who had access to your so-called elixir? More like the devil’s brew if you ask me. Is that the kind of thing you concoct in your chemistry class?”
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
