a gang of ruffians preying upon people who ventured into that section of town
Recent Examples on the WebDespite their reputation as ruffians from the sticks, RSF troops are battle tested, disciplined, and armed to the teeth.—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2023 And then there was Post Malone, the rapping, rocking everyman who has replaced Kid Rock as America’s favorite ruffian.—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2024 Read More: Fans React to Beyoncé's New Album Cowboy Carter
Once seen as ruffians and pushed to the outskirts of Victorian society, cowboys were reinvented as rugged cultural heroes in the American consciousness in the early 20th century through dime novels, rodeos, movies, and more.—TIME, 12 Apr. 2024 The building, erected in 1915 as the Rieger Hotel, served traveling salesmen, railroad ruffians and gangsters in the early 20th Century.—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024 And America’s democratic allies, who well understand the importance of U.S. democratic leadership to the global cause of freedom, have been badly shaken by the images of ruffians rampaging through the world’s most powerful democratic assembly
Get unlimited access to all Foreign Affairs.—Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2021 He was also occasionally harassed on the property; some local ruffians tried to break down its door, and others once beat him and left him for dead.—Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023 View Photos From the June 1997 issue of Car and Driver.
Don't look now, but the wood-and-leather-lined halls of luxury sport-ute-dom have been invaded by a ruffian.—Frank Markus, Car and Driver, 9 Sep. 2023 Chaplin was sharing a table with Russian aristocrats and violinist Jascha Heifetz and saw Julian and his buddies kick over a lamp and generally behave like ruffians.—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ruffian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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