thug
noun
a violent, lawless, or vicious person, especially one who commits a crime such as assault, robbery, or murder.
thuggery
-
a word derived from
thug.
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.
We’re living under a dark cloud, with a steady downpour of graft, thuggery and baloney.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Its police officers deter crimes such as theft and thuggery while keeping the traffic flowing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
Over the weekend the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, condemned the riots as "far-right thuggery" and on Monday he vowed to "ramp up" the law to deal with the violence.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2024
You find that in Amis too, sometimes where you least expect it: amid the apocalyptic tremors of “London Fields,” the fratricidal savagery of “The Information,” the decadence and thuggery of “Lionel Asbo.”
From New York Times ● May 22, 2023
The records of this industrial warfare are replete with lesser battles where thuggery joined hands with desperation in the struggle for wages.
From The Armies of Labor A chronicle of the organized wage-earners by Samuel Peter Orth
