noun

gangster

gangster, mobster

He played a notorious gangster in the film.

He played a notorious gangster in the film.

((a/the)) gangster ((countable noun)) a member of a violent criminal group He played a notorious gangster in the film.

Synonyms: mobster, criminal, hoodlum, thug

From 'gang' (a group of people) + '-ster' (a suffix denoting a person associated with something, often negatively).

A member of a criminal 'gang'. The '-ster' suffix is also in words like 'trickster' or 'prankster'.

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