hooligan
noun
hoo·li·gan
ˈhü-li-gən 
plural hooligans
: a usually young man who engages in rowdy or violent behavior especially as part of a group or gang : ruffian, hoodlum
We had four great beefy hooligans on to us when Linton got his tooth knocked out.—
P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse"At school I ran with the hooligans and tried to act tough."—John Keen
John KeenMore recently the tabloid press dubbed English football hooligans "lager louts" as if it was the fizzy beer that was the problem rather than that many supporters were more interested in fighting than football.—Henry Jeffreys
Henry JeffreysSynonyms
Examples of hooligan in a Sentence
London bobbies clearing the streets of hooligans
Recent Examples on the Web
Denis Kapustin, a founder and leader of the RVC, is a former football hooligan who is known for far-right and neo-Nazi activism and has in the past been denied entry to Europe for his extremist views.
—Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2024
The elder Kleist not only welcomed the demise of the Weimar Republic, but faulted the Nazis for being too incompetent a band of hooligans to dismantle it.
—Thomas Meaney, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
The film has a cast of thousands of depraved hooligan bikers with rusty weapons and rotten teeth.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 May 2024
Other women joined a Russian paramilitary unit started by soccer hooligans, called Española.
—Ekaterina Bodyagina, New York Times, 4 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hooligan 
Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2024
The elder Kleist not only welcomed the demise of the Weimar Republic, but faulted the Nazis for being too incompetent a band of hooligans to dismantle it.
—Thomas Meaney, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
The film has a cast of thousands of depraved hooligan bikers with rusty weapons and rotten teeth.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 May 2024
Other women joined a Russian paramilitary unit started by soccer hooligans, called Española.
—Ekaterina Bodyagina, New York Times, 4 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for hooligan
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Dictionary Entries Near hooligan
Cite this Entry
“Hooligan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hooligan. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hooligan
noun
hoo·li·gan
ˈhü-li-gən
Etymology
perhaps from the name of Patrick Hooligan, an Irish hoodlum who lived in London around 1898
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