gangster

See also: Gangster, gángster, gângster, and Gängster

English

Alternative forms

• (slang) gangsta

Etymology

From gang +‎ -ster. First attested in 1884.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɡæŋ.stə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡæŋ(k).stɚ/

Noun

gangster (plural gangsters, feminine gangsteress)

1. A member of a criminal or street gang.
2. A member of a professional criminal organization; a racketeer.

Derived terms

• antigangster
• black gangster
• gangsta
• gangsterdom
• gangsteress
• gangsterette
• gangsterful
• gangsterhood
• gangsterish
• gangsterism
• gangsterland
• gangster lean
• gangsterless
• gangsterlike
• gangsterly
• gangsterness
• gangster rap
• gangster ride
• gangstership
• gangsterwise
• OG
• YG

 

Translations

street gang member

• Afrikaans: rampokker (af)
• Albanian: bandit (sq) m, gangster (sq) m
• Arabic: سَارِق (ar) m (sāriq), عُضْو فِي عِصَابَة m (ʕuḍw fī ʕiṣāba), قاطِع الطَّرِيق m (qāṭiʕ aṭ-ṭarīq), رَجُل الْعِصَابَة m (rajul al-ʕiṣāba)
• Armenian: ավազակ (hy) (avazak), գանգստեր (hy) (gangster)
• Azerbaijani: quldur, bandit
• Belarusian: банды́т m (bandýt), разбо́йнік m (razbójnik), га́нгстар m (hánhstar), га́нгстэр m (hánhster)
• Bulgarian: га́нгстер (bg) m (gángster), банди́т (bg) m (bandít)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 匪徒 (zh) (fěitú), 土匪 (zh) (tǔfěi)

• Czech: zločinec (cs) m, gangster m, bandita (cs) m
• Danish: gangster (da) c, bandemedlem n
• Dutch: gangster (nl) m
• Esperanto: gangstero
• Estonian: gangster (et), bandiit
• Finnish: jengiläinen (fi), gangsteri (fi)
• French: gangster (fr) m, bandit (fr) m
• Galician: delate m, delado, viltroteiro m, estrapexante m, bandido m
• Georgian: ბანდიტი (bandiṭi), ავაზაკი (avazaḳi), განგსტერი (gangsṭeri), ყაჩაღი (q̇ačaɣi)
• German: Gangster (de) m, Bandit (de) m
• Hebrew: גַּנְגְּסְטֶר m (gangster), פּוֹשֵׁעַ (he) m (poshé'a), עֲבַרְיָן (he) m (avaryán), בִּרְיוֹן (he) m (biryón)
• Hungarian: gengszter (hu), bandita (hu)
• Irish: drongadóir m
• Italian: gangster (it) m or f, mafioso (it) m, delinquente (it) m, malvivente (it) m
• Japanese: ギャングスター (gyangusutā), 匪徒 (ja) (ひと, hito), 山賊 (ja) (さんぞく, sanzoku)
• Kazakh: бандит (bandit), қарақшы (qaraqşy), тонаушы (tonauşy)
• Khmer: យូកូង (yuu koung)
• Korean: 깡패 (ko) (kkangpae), 강도(强盜) (ko) (gangdo), 비적(匪賊) (ko) (bijeok), 폭력배(暴力輩) (ko) (pongnyeokbae)
• Kyrgyz: бандит (ky) (bandit), кески (keski)
• Latin: grassātor m
• Latvian: bandīts m, gangsteris m
• Lithuanian: banditas m, gangsteris m
• Macedonian: разбојник m (razbojnik), гангстер m (gangster), банди́т m (bandít)
• Malay: gengster
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: дээрэмчин (mn) (deeremčin)

• Norman: gangsteux m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: banditt m, gangster m

• Old English: hloþere m
• Persian: راهزن (fa) (râhzan), خلافکار (fa) (xalâfkâr), اوباش (fa) (owbâš), اراذل (fa) (arâzel), گانگستر (fa) (gângester), گنگستر (gangester)
• Polish: bandyta (pl) m, gangster (pl) m
• Portuguese: gângster (pt) m
• Romanian: bandit (ro) m
• Russian: банди́т (ru) m (bandít), га́нгстер (ru) m (gángster), разбо́йник (ru) m (razbójnik)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ра́збо̄јнӣк m, га̀нгстер m

  Roman: rázbōjnīk (sh) m, gàngster (sh) m

• Slovak: zločinec m, gangster m, bandita m
• Slovene: gangster m, razbojnik m
• Sotho: tsotsi
• Spanish: gángster (es) m, pandillero (es) m, marero m, gánster m, bandido (es) m, alaraco (es)
• Swahili: jangili (sw)
• Swedish: gangster (sv) c, gängmedlem c
• Tajik: ғоратгар (ġoratgar), яғмогар (tg) (yaġmogar), роҳзан (rohzan)
• Thai: นักเลง (th) (nák-leeng), อันธพาล (th) (an-tá-paan)
• Turkish: çeteci (tr), gangster (tr)
• Turkmen: garakçy, bandit (tk)
• Ukrainian: банди́т (uk) m (bandýt), розбі́йник m (rozbíjnyk), га́нгстер (uk) m (hánhster)
• Uyghur: باندىت (bandit), قاراقچى (qaraqchi)
• Uzbek: bosmachi (uz), bandit (uz), qaroqchi (uz), bosqinchi (uz)
• Yiddish: באַנדיט m (bandit)

Verb

gangster (third-person singular simple present gangsters, present participle gangstering, simple past and past participle gangstered)

1. To act like a gangster; to commit street crime or run a racket.

Adjective

gangster (comparative more gangster, superlative most gangster)

1. (African-American Vernacular, slang) Characteristic of a gangster; (especially) admirable and audacious.
   • 2011, Isaiah Washington, Lavaille Lavette, A Man From Another Land: How Finding My Roots Changed My Life, New York, N.Y. […]: Center Street, →ISBN, page 121:

     I looked at my team and thought, "Damn, now that was the most gangster move I have ever seen in my life. I think we just strong-armed a government official in Sierra Leone!"

   • 2024 February 12, @Teller_Banks357, Twitter‎^[1], archived from the original on 15 June 2024:

     Sampling is the most gangsta shit ever. Im finna steal yo life's work and make it into trap music

2. (African-American Vernacular, slang, Internet slang) On friendly terms; cool.

   We put an end to our beef. We're all gangster now.

   • 2016, Janae M. Robinson, Crumbling Down, →ISBN, page 75:

     "Oh, soft ass pretty boy, trying to act all hard for his little girlfriend. Don't he know that we gangsta over here. We don't beef over females. Share and share alike," Corey said, laughing.

   • 2022 May 10, @mr_gh0stly, Twitter‎^[2], archived from the original on 15 June 2024:

     everyone gangsta until NATO starts shipping Burger Kings onto the scene

Further reading

• “gangsta”, in The Right Rhymes, launched 2013.

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɡaŋkstɛr]
• IPA^(key): [ˈɡɛŋkstr̩]

Noun

gangster m anim (related adjective gangsterský)

1. gangster

Declension

Declension of gangster (hard masculine animate)

	singular	plural
nominative	gangster	gangsteři
genitive	gangstera	gangsterů
dative	gangsterovi, gangsteru	gangsterům
accusative	gangstera	gangstery
vocative	gangstere	gangsteři
locative	gangsterovi, gangsteru	gangsterech
instrumental	gangsterem	gangstery

Further reading

• “gangster”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935-1957
• “gangster”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English gangster.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɛŋ.stər/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: gang‧ster

Noun

gangster m (plural gangsters, diminutive gangstertje n)

1. gangster

Adjective

gangster (not comparable)

1. (slang) cool, awesome

Inflection

Declension of gangster
uninflected	gangster
inflected	gangster
comparative	—
		positive
predicative/adverbial		gangster
indefinite	m./f. sing.	gangster
	n. sing.	gangster
	plural	gangster
definite		gangster
partitive		gangsters

Estonian

Etymology

From English gangster.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡ̊ænɡ̊ster/, [ˈɡ̊æŋɡ̊ster], /ˈɡ̊ɑnɡ̊ster/, [ˈɡ̊ɑŋɡ̊ster]
• Rhymes: -ɑnɡster, -ænɡster
• Hyphenation: gangs‧ter

Noun

gangster (genitive gangsteri, partitive gangsterit)

1. gangster (a member of an organized criminal gang)

   Synonym: gängster

Declension

Declension of gangster (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		gangster	gangsterid
accusative	nom.
	gen.	gangsteri
genitive			gangsterite
partitive		gangsterit	gangstereid
illative		gangsterisse	gangsteritesse gangstereisse
inessive		gangsteris	gangsterites gangstereis
elative		gangsterist	gangsteritest gangstereist
allative		gangsterile	gangsteritele gangstereile
adessive		gangsteril	gangsteritel gangstereil
ablative		gangsterilt	gangsteritelt gangstereilt
translative		gangsteriks	gangsteriteks gangstereiks
terminative		gangsterini	gangsteriteni
essive		gangsterina	gangsteritena
abessive		gangsterita	gangsteriteta
comitative		gangsteriga	gangsteritega

References

• gangster in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)
• “gangster”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɑ̃ɡ.stɛʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

gangster m (plural gangsters)

1. gangster

Descendants

• → Romanian: gangster

Further reading

• “gangster”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English gangster.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɛn.ster/, /ˈɡan.ster/, /ˈɡɛnɡ.ster/, /ˈɡanɡ.ster/
• Rhymes: -ɛnster, -anster, -ɛnɡster, -anɡster
• Hyphenation: gàng‧ster

Noun

gangster m or f by sense (invariable)

1. gangster

Derived terms

• gangsterismo
• gangsteristico

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English gangster.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡaŋ.kstɛr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aŋkstɛr
• Syllabification: gan‧gster

Noun

gangster m pers (female equivalent gangsterka)

1. gangster (gang member)

Declension

Declension of gangster

	singular	plural
nominative	gangster	gangsterzy/gangstery (deprecative)
genitive	gangstera	gangsterów
dative	gangsterowi	gangsterom
accusative	gangstera	gangsterów
instrumental	gangsterem	gangsterami
locative	gangsterze	gangsterach
vocative	gangsterze	gangsterzy

Derived terms

adjective

• gangsterski

 

Related terms

nouns

• gang
• gangsterka
• gangsterstwo
• gangsteryzm

 

Further reading

• gangster in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• gangster in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Noun

gangster m or f by sense (plural gangsters)

1. Alternative spelling of gângster

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French gangster.

Noun

gangster m (plural gangsteri)

1. gangster

Declension

Declension of gangster

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) gangster	gangsterul	(niște) gangsteri	gangsterii
genitive/dative	(unui) gangster	gangsterului	(unor) gangsteri	gangsterilor
vocative	gangsterule		gangsterilor

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡǎnɡster/
• Hyphenation: gang‧ster

Noun

gàngster m (Cyrillic spelling га̀нгстер)

1. gangster

Declension

Declension of gangster

	singular	plural
nominative	gangster	gangsteri
genitive	gangstera	gangstera
dative	gangsteru	gangsterima
accusative	gangstera	gangstere
vocative	gangsteru	gangsteri
locative	gangsteru	gangsterima
instrumental	gangsterom	gangsterima

Spanish

Noun

gangster m (plural gangsteres)

1. Alternative spelling of gángster

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English gangster. Attested since 1927.

Noun

gangster c

1. a gangster

Declension

Declension of gangster
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	gangster	gangstern	gangstrar	gangstrarna
Genitive	gangsters	gangsterns	gangstrars	gangstrarnas

Derived terms

• gangsterrap

References

• gangster in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• gangster in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

Turkish

Etymology

Internationalism (see English gangster).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɑŋˈstæɾ/, /ɡeŋˈstæɾ/
• Rhymes: -æɾ

Noun

gangster (definite accusative gangsteri, plural gangsterler)

1. gangster

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	gangster
Definite accusative	gangsteri
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	gangster	gangsterler
Definite accusative	gangsteri	gangsterleri
Dative	gangstere	gangsterlere
Locative	gangsterde	gangsterlerde
Ablative	gangsterden	gangsterlerden
Genitive	gangsterin	gangsterlerin
Possessive forms Nominative Singular Plural 1st singular gangsterim gangsterlerim 2nd singular gangsterin gangsterlerin 3rd singular gangsteri gangsterleri 1st plural gangsterimiz gangsterlerimiz 2nd plural gangsteriniz gangsterleriniz 3rd plural gangsterleri gangsterleri Definite accusative Singular Plural 1st singular gangsterimi gangsterlerimi 2nd singular gangsterini gangsterlerini 3rd singular gangsterini gangsterlerini 1st plural gangsterimizi gangsterlerimizi 2nd plural gangsterinizi gangsterlerinizi 3rd plural gangsterlerini gangsterlerini Dative Singular Plural 1st singular gangsterime gangsterlerime 2nd singular gangsterine gangsterlerine 3rd singular gangsterine gangsterlerine 1st plural gangsterimize gangsterlerimize 2nd plural gangsterinize gangsterlerinize 3rd plural gangsterlerine gangsterlerine Locative Singular Plural 1st singular gangsterimde gangsterlerimde 2nd singular gangsterinde gangsterlerinde 3rd singular gangsterinde gangsterlerinde 1st plural gangsterimizde gangsterlerimizde 2nd plural gangsterinizde gangsterlerinizde 3rd plural gangsterlerinde gangsterlerinde Ablative Singular Plural 1st singular gangsterimden gangsterlerimden 2nd singular gangsterinden gangsterlerinden 3rd singular gangsterinden gangsterlerinden 1st plural gangsterimizden gangsterlerimizden 2nd plural gangsterinizden gangsterlerinizden 3rd plural gangsterlerinden gangsterlerinden Genitive Singular Plural 1st singular gangsterimin gangsterlerimin 2nd singular gangsterinin gangsterlerinin 3rd singular gangsterinin gangsterlerinin 1st plural gangsterimizin gangsterlerimizin 2nd plural gangsterinizin gangsterlerinizin 3rd plural gangsterlerinin gangsterlerinin

predicative forms of gangster

present tense
	positive, declarative	positive, interrogative	negative, declarative	negative, interrogative
ben (I am)	gangsterim	gangster miyim?	gangster değilim	gangster değil miyim?
sen (you are)	gangstersin	gangster misin?	gangster değilsin	gangster değil misin?
o (he/she/it is)	gangster / gangsterdir	gangster mi?	gangster değil	gangster değil mi?
biz (we are)	gangsteriz	gangster miyiz?	gangster değiliz	gangster değil miyiz?
siz (you are)	gangstersiniz	gangster misiniz?	gangster değilsiniz	gangster değil misiniz?
onlar (they are)	gangster(ler)	gangster(ler) mi?	gangster değil(ler)	gangster değiller mi?
past tense
	positive, declarative	positive, interrogative	negative, declarative	negative, interrogative
ben (I was)	gangsterdim	gangster miydim?	gangster değildim	gangster değil miydim?
sen (you were)	gangsterdin	gangster miydin?	gangster değildin	gangster değil miydin?
o (he/she/it was)	gangsterdi	gangster miydi?	gangster değildi	gangster değil miydi?
biz (we were)	gangsterdik	gangster miydik?	gangster değildik	gangster değil miydik?
siz (you were)	gangsterdiniz	gangster miydiniz?	gangster değildiniz	gangster değil miydiniz?
onlar (they were)	gangsterdiler	gangster miydiler?	gangster değildi(ler) / değillerdi	gangster değil miydiler?
indirect past
	positive, declarative	positive, interrogative	negative, declarative	negative, interrogative
ben (I was)	gangstermişim	gangster miymişim?	gangster değilmişim	gangster değil miymişim?
sen (you were)	gangstermişsin	gangster miymişsin?	gangster değilmişsin	gangster değil miymişsin?
o (he/she/it was)	gangstermiş	gangster miymiş?	gangster değilmiş	gangster değil miymiş?
biz (we were)	gangstermişiz	gangster miymişiz?	gangster değilmişiz	gangster değil miymişiz?
siz (you were)	gangstermişsiniz	gangster miymişsiniz?	gangster değilmişsiniz	gangster değil miymişsiniz?
onlar (they were)	gangstermişler	gangster miymişler?	gangster değilmiş(ler) / değillermiş	gangster değil miymişler?
conditional
	positive, declarative	positive, interrogative	negative, declarative	negative, interrogative
ben (if I)	gangstersem	gangster miysem?	gangster değilsem	gangster değil miysem?
sen (if you)	gangstersen	gangster miysen?	gangster değilsen	gangster değil miysen?
o (if he/she/it)	gangsterse	gangster miyse?	gangster değilse	gangster değil miyse?
biz (if we)	gangstersek	gangster miysek?	gangster değilsek	gangster değil miysek?
siz (if you)	gangsterseniz	gangster miyseniz?	gangster değilseniz	gangster değil miyseniz?
onlar (if they)	gangsterseler	gangster miyseler?	gangster değilseler / değillerse	gangster değil miyseler?