What does hoodlum mean?
Definitions for hoodlum
ˈhud ləm, ˈhʊd-hood·lum
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word hoodlum.
Princeton's WordNet
hood, hoodlum, goon, punk, thug, tough, toughie, strong-armernoun
an aggressive and violent young criminal
Wiktionary
hoodlumnoun
a gangster; a hired thug
hoodlumnoun
a rough or violent youth
Etymology: Since 1871. Origin unknown, but many explanations have been put forward. Online Etymology Dictionary indicates that a guess as good as any is from German dialect (Bavarian) Huddellump.
Wikipedia
Hoodlum
A hoodlum is a thug, usually in a group of misfits who are associated with crime or theft.
ChatGPT
hoodlum
A hoodlum is a person, typically a young person, who engages in violent, criminal, or unlawful behavior. They are often associated with street gangs, petty crimes, or general disorderly conduct. The term is often used in a pejorative or disparaging manner to refer to individuals who disrupt the peace, cause harm to others, or damage property.
Webster Dictionary
Hoodlumnoun
a young rowdy; a rough, lawless fellow
Wikidata
Hoodlum
Hoodlum is a 1997 crime drama film that gives a fictionalized account of the gang war between the Italian/Jewish mafia alliance and the black gangsters of Harlem that took place in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The film concentrated on Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, Dutch Schultz, and Lucky Luciano.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Hoodlum
hōōd′lum, n. (U.S.) a rowdy, street bully.
Rap Dictionary
hoodlumnoun
A criminal; drugdealer, car thief, stick up kid. "Hoodlums and hustlers and bangers with Jheri-curls" -- Ice T. (Lifestyles of the rich and infamous) A gangster; a thug. A tough, often aggressive or violent youth
Editors Contribution
HOODLUM
A gangster or thug, someone who breaks the law.
Submitted by rinat on January 24, 2022
Etymology and Origins
Hoodlum
A street rough, originally a product of San Francisco, but now common in New York and most cities of the American Union. The origin of the term was thus accounted for by The Congregationalist, 26th September 1877: “A newspaper man in San Francisco, in attempting to coin a word to designate a gang of young street Arabs under the beck of one named ‘Muldoon,’ hit upon the idea of dubbing them Noodlums--that is, simply reversing the leader’s name. In writing the word the strokes of the N did not correspond in height, and the compositor, taking the N for an H, printed it Hoodlum. ‘Hoodlum’ it is, and probably ever will be.”
Matched Categories
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of hoodlum in Chaldean Numerology is: 9
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of hoodlum in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7
Examples of hoodlum in a Sentence
He called gangster films hoodlum films, he said to us he never watched his hoodlum films. The only movies he would ever stick around to watch if they were on TV would be the handful of musicals he made, which he loved.
He’s got an edge to him. He looks like a choir boy, but he plays like … a hoodlum.
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References
Translations for hoodlum
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
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"hoodlum." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 7 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/hoodlum>.
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