Hoodlum Definition

ho͝odləm, ho͝od-
hoodlums
noun
hoodlums
A wild, lawless person, often a member of a gang of criminals.
Webster's New World
A gangster; a thug.
American Heritage
A tough-looking young ruffian.
Webster's New World
A tough, often aggressive or violent youth.
American Heritage
Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Hoodlum

Noun

Singular:
hoodlum
Plural:
hoodlums

Origin of Hoodlum

  • According to Herbert Asbury's book The Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld (1933, A. A. Knopf, New York), the word originated in San Francisco from a particular street gang's call to unemployed Irishmen to "huddle 'em" (to beat up Chinese migrants), after which San Francisco newspapers took to calling street gangs "hoodlums".

    From Wiktionary

  • Attested since 1871. Many sources have been proposed, but none are certain. The Online Etymology Dictionary suggests that it may derive from Bavarian German Haddalump (“ragamuffin”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Origin unknown

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Hoodlum Sentence Examples

  • I guess if they did, his hoodlum pals gave him an alibi.

  • At first the young hoodlum thought it was the drugs in his system playing up.

  • Fred thinks orange roughy is a hoodlum from Northern Ireland!

  • The labels documenting the body parts adopt the language used by Alex, A Clockwork Orange's teenage hoodlum.

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Words Starting With

HHOHOO

Words Ending With

MUMLUM

Unscrambles

hoodlum

Words Starting With H and Ending With M

Starts With H & Ends With MStarts With HO & Ends With MStarts With H & Ends With UM

Word Length

7 Letter Words7 Letter Words Starting With H7 Letter Words Ending With M