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gangster

 - 4 dictionary results

gang⋅ster

  [gang-ster]
Use gangster in a Sentence
–noun
a member of a gang of criminals, esp. a racketeer.
Origin:
1895–1900, Americanism; gang 1 + -ster

Synonyms:
mobster, hoodlum, crook, thug; hood, goon.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To gangster
gang·ster   (gāng'stər)   
n.  

  1. A member of an organized group of criminals; a racketeer.

  2. A member of a gang of delinquents.

gang'ster·dom n., gang'ster·ism n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

gangster 
1896, Amer.Eng., from gang (q.v.) in its criminal sense. Gangland is from 1912. Gangsta rap style is generally credited to West Philly hip hop artist Schoolly D, but his "Gangster Boogie" (1984) used the conventional spelling; NWA was spelling it gangsta by 1988.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: gang·ster
Function: noun
: a member of a gang of criminals
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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