thug


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thug

 (thŭg)
n.
1. A cutthroat or ruffian; a hoodlum.
2. also Thug One of a group of professional criminals, devotees of Kali, who robbed and murdered travelers in northern India until the mid-1800s.

[Hindi ṭhag, perhaps from Sanskrit sthagaḥ, a cheat, from sthagati, sthagayati, he conceals; see (s)teg- in Indo-European roots.]

thug′ger·y n.
thug′gish adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

thug

(θʌɡ)
n
1. a tough and violent man, esp a criminal
2. (Historical Terms) (sometimes capital) (formerly) a member of an organization of robbers and assassins in India who typically strangled their victims
[C19: from Hindi thag thief, from Sanskrit sthaga scoundrel, from sthagati to conceal]
ˈthuggery n
ˈthuggish adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

thug

(θʌg)

n.
1. a vicious criminal or ruffian.
2. (sometimes cap.) a member of a fraternity of professional robbers and murderers in India, suppressed by the British in the 19th century.
[1800–10; < Hindi thag literally, rogue, cheat]
thug′ger•y, n.
thug′gish, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.thug - an aggressive and violent young criminalthug - an aggressive and violent young criminal
bully - a hired thug
criminal, crook, felon, malefactor, outlaw - someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

thug

noun ruffian, hooligan, tough, heavy (slang), killer, murderer, robber, gangster, assassin, bandit, mugger (informal), cut-throat, bully boy, bruiser (informal), boot boy, tsotsi (S. African) the cowardly thugs who mug old people
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

thug

noun
A person who treats others violently and roughly, especially for hire:
Informal: hooligan.
Slang: goon, gorilla, hood.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
سَفَّاحسَفّاح، سَفّاك
banditachuligán
bølle
kovanaamaroisto
siledžija
banditaorgyilkos
óòokki
凶悪犯
흉악한 악당
bandīts
nasilnež
ligist
อันธพาล
du côn

thug

[θʌg] Nmatón/ona m/f (fig) (as term of abuse) → bruto m, bestia f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

thug

[ˈθʌg] nvoyou m
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

thug

nSchlägertyp m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

thug

[θʌg] nteppista m/f, delinquente m/f
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

thug

(θag) noun
a violent, brutal person. Where are the young thugs who robbed the old man?
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

thug

سَفَّاح chuligán bølle Schlägertyp κακοποιός matón kovanaama voyou siledžija delinquente 凶悪犯 흉악한 악당 misdadiger banditt bandyta criminoso бандит ligist อันธพาล eşkıya du côn 暴徒
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
A CHIEF of Police who had seen an Officer beating a Thug was very indignant, and said he must not do so any more on pain of dismissal.
"But," said the Officer, still smiling, "it was a stuffed Thug."
Nobody'll share his slightest care, He classes with thugs and crooks.
"Nobody loves a mil-yun-aire, Nobody likes his looks, Nobody'll share his slightest care, He classes with thugs and crooks."
"Nobody likes a mil-yun-aire, Nobody likes hia looks, Nobody'll share his slightest care, He classes with thugs and crooks."
They were behind with their rent all the time, but the company was good to them; there was some politics back of that, Grandmother Majauszkiene could not say just what, but the Laffertys had belonged to the "War Whoop League," which was a sort of political club of all the thugs and rowdies in the district; and if you belonged to that, you could never be arrested for anything.
Thugs went into the corner shop at around 6.20pm and threatened two female employees with a knife.
Our story of three thugs who beat up a man on a train, stamping on his head, were let off prison, angered readers...
The third thug was a black youth around 13 or 14 years old.
POLICE were last night hunting two thugs who robbed a 78 year-old man in his own home, it emerged last night.
Bellona's residents (mostly poor and black) live on looted cans of food; there's no economy to speak of, gossip is the most highly valued commodity, and a gang of thugs (eventually headed by the main character, Kid, an amnesiac and possibly Native American poet) runs a haphazard protection racket.