gangland

noun

gang·​land ˈgaŋ-ˌland How to pronounce gangland (audio)
-lənd
often attributive
: the world of organized crime
a gangland killing

Examples of gangland in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The gangland-style murders made the front page. Stephanie Mansfield, Good Housekeeping, 11 Aug. 2022 Salemme, who has admitted to a slew of other gangland killings, was living in Atlanta under the name Richard Parker when remains of the nightclub owner were unearthed in 2016, making the elderly ex-Mafia don a government target once again. CBS News, 18 Dec. 2022 Or, perhaps, this was a gangland killing, as Twinsburg Police Chief Don Prange speculated to the Akron Beacon Journal. Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2022 The film kicks off with Travis, a tough, black guy from South London with a gangland past, being released from prison, to be met by his partner Candice. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 30 Sep. 2022 His notoriety grew in 2012 when he was identified on banners as being the one responsible for a spate of gangland violence in Hermosillo, Agua Prieta and Nogales. Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2022 In 1973 a 20-year-old Korean immigrant named Chol Soo Lee was arrested for a gangland shooting in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 New York’s last true gangland rubout occurred in the Throggs Neck neighborhood of the Bronx, in November, 2013, when Michael Meldish, a member of a freelance criminal outfit called the Purple Gang, was shot to death. Tom Robbins, The New Yorker, 23 July 2022 Then, 14 days later, Gotti and his crew staged a gangland coup, gunning down Gambino boss Paul Castellano and his driver, Tommy Bilotti, outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan. Michael Daly, Washington Post, 8 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gangland.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gangland was in 1912

Dictionary Entries Near gangland

Cite this Entry

“Gangland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangland. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gangland

noun
gang·​land ˈgaŋ-ˌland How to pronounce gangland (audio)
-lənd
: the world of organized crime

Legal Definition

gangland

noun
gang·​land ˈgaŋ-ˌland How to pronounce gangland (audio)
often attributive
: the world of organized crime

More from Merriam-Webster on gangland

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