hooligan
/ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.69 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A young person who causes trouble or violence, typically as a member of a gang or other group.
Informal
noun
noun
A type of fish, an anadromous smelt, Thaleichthys pacificus, found in the North Pacific.
Example Sentences
- "She also heard boys from other classes behind her talking: “So, Teacher Tang is a female hooligan.”"
- "And I was in danger of turning into a right little hooligan if left to my wayward ways."
- "“You are hooligan, you try to make trouble.” Sam paused, then continued. “Ah ha ha ha, I am right, I see it in your eyes. A hooligan!”"
- "These excursions abroad confirm that displacement has actually been a feature of the development of hooligan conflicts for some time, but an important wider point is that domestic hooligan displacement also seems to be a much more central issue today, as policing and other control strategies (segregation, seating, stewarding and CCTV in and around the larger English football grounds) have become more comprehensive, and especially as sentences for hooliganism have become much more forbidding."
- "Many professional Navy and Coast Guard men were inclined to scoff. What kind of Navy was this, and what did they think they were up to, anyway? This bunch of hooligans wouldn't be any good to anyone; wouldn't be worth the powder to blow 'em to hell. Hooligan's Navy."
- "It often seemed to Al that the entire Coast Guard was a little embarrassed about being Coast Guardsmen—except maybe the cocky bearded men off the convoy cutters, who needed to apologize to no man because of any lack of battle stars. But in general, Army and Navy guys looked down on Hooligans."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: -, ulakan
Usage
- Informal
- American usage
- Slang
- Intransitive verb
- Transitive verb
Inflected Forms
hooligans (plural)
hooligans (present, singular)
hooliganing (participle, present)
hooliganed (participle, past)
hooliganed (past)