hoodlum
/ˈhuːdləm
/noun
A person who engages in crime and violence; a hooligan or gangster: they were the ‘professional’ gangsters of New York, hoodlums and racketeers a bunch of hoodlums just looking for trouble...
- He was a gangster, a hoodlum, a thug: much less creative than his dad.
- In fact, many people believe gangsters and hoodlums are vicious and violent by nature.
- Doesn't such an attitude encourage hoodlums to commit such crimes again and again?
Synonyms
hooligan, thug, lout, delinquent, tearaway, vandal, ruffian, rowdy;
Australian/New Zealand larrikin
informal tough, rough, bruiser, roughneck
British informal yob, yobbo, bovver boy, lager lout, chav, hoodie
Scottish & Northern English informal keelie, ned
Australian/New Zealand informal roughie, hoon
gangster, gang member, mobster, criminal, gunman, thug, racketeer, ruffian, member of a criminal gang, member of the Mafia, Mafioso, Yardie;
in Japan yakuza
informal hitman, hatchet man, heavy, gorilla
North American informal hood, goon
Origin
Late 19th century: of unknown origin.