gangsta

noun

ˈgaŋ(k)-stə How to pronounce gangsta (audio)
Definition of gangstanext
as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang the short, violence-filled life of an inner-city gangsta

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gangsta Imagine a hardcore Black gangsta rapper going toe-to-toe with a wild-eyed white indie rock freak in makeup and shiny black leather pants, as the two repeatedly, gleefully, refer to one another using racial slurs. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 May 2024 Compared with Lower Delmas and G9 areas, the graffiti is less revolutionary, more West Coast gangsta; there are portraits of 2Pac and Ice Cube. — Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2023 Jefferson gives audiences just a brief taste of this manuscript, imagining a stereotypical conversation between two gangstas, played by Keith David and Okieriete Onaodowan. — Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023 The East Coast old guard bristled at dance and found the idea of Southern gangsta rap, and Southern women gangsta rappers, laughable. — Zandria Robinson, Glamour, 2 Nov. 2021 See All Example Sentences for gangsta
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gangsta
  1. thug
  2. gangster
  3. criminal
  4. villain
Noun
  • The British consul wants to smuggle the seal out of China, with the help of a group of local thugs.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2025
  • As the machine gun thug tries to seal that deal for Whitman, Cara attempts to get him in her rifle's sights.
    — Matt Cabral, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Definition of thug
Noun
  • In 1932 Chicago police raided an apparent summit meeting of gangsters, and arrested Lansky and five others on vagrancy charges.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Russian gangsters, grenades, terrorist plots, amnesia, and the idyllic Maine coastline all make an appearance.
    — Randall Colburn, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • In the film, Martin Lawrence plays an FBI agent who has to go undercover as a larger-than-life grandma — the eponymous Big Momma — to track down an escaped criminal.
    — William Earl, Variety, 1 Apr. 2025
  • In a recent spree of clemency for white collar criminals, President Trump has pardoned Utah entrepreneur Trevor Milton, who was convicted in 2022 of misleading investors in his hydrogen and electric truck company Nikola.
    — Erin Alberty, Axios, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • Even when a big threat does arrive on the scene, the heroes aren't there right away, so plenty of innocent people get hurt before a villain gets brought to justice.
    — John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Whereas Serena could easily have emerged as a one-note villain, from the beginning of her tenure on the series, Strahovski has imbued Serena with a soulfulness that often puts the audience uncomfortably on her side, despite her reprehensible actions.
    — Scarlett Harris, IndieWire, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of villain

Browse Nearby Words

gangs
gangsta
gangstas
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Cite this Entry

“Gangsta.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gangsta. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

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