noun

a person who engages in crime and violence; a hooligan or gangster.

they were the ‘professional’ gangsters of New York, hoodlums and racketeers

hooligan,thug,lout,delinquent,vandal,ruffian,rowdy,tearaway,larrikin,tough,rough,bruiser,roughneck,yob,yobbo,bovver boy,lager lout,chav,hoodie,keelie,ned,roughie,hoon,gangster,gang member,mobster,criminal,gunman,racketeer,member of a criminal gang,member of the Mafia,Mafioso,Yardie,yakuza,hitman,hatchet man,heavy,gorilla,hood,goon