hooligan

hoo·li·gan

H h

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [hoo-li-guh n]
- /ˈhu lɪ gən/
- /ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [hoo-li-guh n]
- /ˈhu lɪ gən/

Definitions of hooligan word

noun hooligan a ruffian or hoodlum. 1
adjective hooligan of or like hooligans. 1
noun hooligan A violent young troublemaker, typically one of a gang. 1
noun hooligan disorderly or violent person 1
countable noun hooligan If you describe people, especially young people, as hooligans, you are critical of them because they behave in a noisy and violent way in a public place. 0
noun hooligan a rough lawless young person 0

See all 8 definitions of hooligan

Information block about the term

Origin of hooligan

First appearance:

before 1895

One of the 18% newest English words

First recorded in 1895-1900; perhaps after the Irish surname Hooligan, but corroborating evidence is lacking

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Hooligan

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Hooligan

hooligan popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 79% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

hooligan usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for hooligan

noun hooligan

troublemaker — a person who causes difficulties, distress, worry, etc., for others, especially one who does so habitually as a matter of malice.
delinquent — Someone, usually a young person, who is delinquent repeatedly commits minor crimes.
mobster — a member of a criminal mob.
rowdy — a rough, disorderly person.
gangster — a member of a gang of criminals, especially a racketeer.

adjective hooligan

brutish — If you describe a person or their behaviour as brutish, you think that they are brutal and uncivilised.

All 17 Synonyms of hooligan