hoodlum
Americannoun
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a thug or gangster.
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a young street ruffian, especially one belonging to a gang.
noun
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a petty gangster or ruffian
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a lawless youth
Other Word Forms
- hoodlumish adjective
- hoodlumism noun
Etymology
Origin of hoodlum
1870–75, probably < dialectal German; compare Swabian derivatives of Hudel rag, e.g. hudelum disorderly, hudellam weak, slack Hudellump ( e ) rags, slovenly, careless person, and related words in other dialects
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.
“He was absolutely beautiful, like a Botticelli cosh boy,” Mr. Lindsay-Hogg recalled, using an old British slang term for stylish teenage hoodlum.
From New York Times • Jul. 5, 2022
In your film, a teacher once said that James would be either a hoodlum or a great entertainer.
From Salon • Sep. 3, 2021
"He’s got an edge to him. He looks like a choir boy, but he plays like … a hoodlum," Van Gundy said.
From Fox News • Jul. 8, 2021
And, pay careful attention to a rare appearance by legendary Stooge Shemp Howard as baby-renting hoodlum Wacky and the famed dance team Rene and Estela performing the rhumba.
From Washington Times • Apr. 21, 2021
You are no better than a common hoodlum.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
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.
