Standard Lemma guide

hooligan

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: Wholigan
  • CMU ARPABET: HH UW1 L IH0 G AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A young person who causes trouble or violence, typically as a member of a gang or other group.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: attributive, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: agitator, bad boy, bad news, bear, beggar, bhoy, blackguard, booger, boot boy, bovver boy, brat, brawler, breedbate, buffoon, bugger, bully, charva, cutup, devil, elf, enfant terrible, firebrand, gadfly, hell-raiser, hood, hoodlum, hool, hoolie, hooligan, hothead, imp, inciter, initiator, instigator, jackanapes, joker, jokester, kindle-coal, kindle-fire, knave, lout, makebate, minx, mischief, mischief-maker, miscreant, ne'er-do-well, pixie, pot stirrer, practical joker, prankster, puck, punk, rabble rouser, rakeshame, rantipole, rapscallion, rascal, rogue, roly-poly, rowdy, ruffian, scamp, scapegrace, scoundrel, shit disturber, shitmonger, shit-stirrer, tearaway, thug, titivil, tough, troublemaker, undesirable, vandal, wag, wagpastie, wrangler, yob, yobbo

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Ellipsis of football hooligan.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A member of the United States Coast Guard.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A type of fish, an anadromous smelt, Thaleichthys pacificus, found in the North Pacific.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: eulachon, candlefish

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To act as a hooligan (etymology 1, noun sense 1).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To treat (a person) roughly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

a cruel and brutal fellow

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bully, tough, ruffian, roughneck, rowdy, yob, yobo, yobbo

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: attacker, aggressor, assailant, assaulter

Narrower terms: bullyboy, muscleman, muscle, skinhead, tough guy, plug-ugly

History

Etymology

Probably a variant of the Irish surname Houlihan, 1890s.

Borrowed from Chinook Jargon ulakan, from Clatsop Chinook, with spelling and pronunciation influenced by the preceding.

Across languages

Translations

133 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: huligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Albanian: rrugaç — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Arabic: دَمَوِيّ (damawiyy) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Arabic: سَفَّاح (saffāḥ) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Arabic: أزعر (ʔazʕar) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܫܹܠܵܬܹܐ (shelati) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Armenian: խուլիգան (xuligan) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Azerbaijani: xuliqan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Belarusian: хуліга́н (xulihán) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Belarusian: хуліга́нка (xulihánka) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Bulgarian: хулига́н (huligán) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Bulgarian: хулига́нка (huligánka) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Burmese: လမ်းသရဲ (lam:sa.rai:) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Chinese Cantonese: 爛仔 /烂仔 (laan6 zai2) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 流氓 (liúmáng) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 歹徒 (dǎitú) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 阿飛 /阿飞 (āfēi) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Crimean Tatar: huligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Czech: chuligán — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Czech: chuligánka — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Dutch: hooligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Dutch: vechtersbaas — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Dutch: onruststoker — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Esperanto: huligano — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Estonian: huligaan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Finnish: huligaani — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Finnish: häirikkö — person that causes trouble or violence
  • French: hooligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • French: casseur — person that causes trouble or violence
  • French: voyou — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Galician: lofa — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Galician: tarabelo — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Galician: bullangueiro — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Galician: bourión — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Galician: raido — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Galician: lampantín — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Galician: bergante — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Galician: arroallo — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Georgian: ხულიგანი (xuligani) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • German: Hooligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • German: Raufbold — person that causes trouble or violence
  • German: Randalierer — person that causes trouble or violence
  • German: Rowdy — person that causes trouble or violence
  • German: Störenfried — person that causes trouble or violence
  • German: Vandale — person that causes trouble or violence
  • German: Unruhestifter — person that causes trouble or violence
  • German: Querulant — person that causes trouble or violence
  • German: Halbstarker — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Greek: χούλιγκαν (choúligkan) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Greek: ταραξίας (taraxías) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Greek: ταραχοποιός (tarachopoiós) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Hebrew: חוּלִיגָן (ḥuligán) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Hindi: गुंडा (guṇḍā) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Hungarian: huligán — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Irish: amhas — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Irish: amhasóir — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Italian: teppista — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Italian: vandalo — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Italian: hooligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Japanese: 与太者 (yotamono) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Japanese: フーリガン (fūrigan) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Japanese: ならず者 (narazumono) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Japanese: 不良 (furyō) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Kazakh: бейбастақ (beibastaq) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Kazakh: бұзақы (būzaqy) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Kazakh: бұзық (būzyq) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Kazakh: бұзылған (būzylğan) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Kazakh: хулиган (xuligan) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Khmer: កាចកោង (kaac kaong) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Korean: 훌리건 (hulligeon) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Korean: 불량배 (bullyangbae) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Korean: 깡패 (kkangpae) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Korean: 불량자 (bullyangja) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Korean: 악당 (akdang) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Korean: 불한당 (bulhandang) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Kyrgyz: хулиган (huligan) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Kyrgyz: зөөкүр (zöökür) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Kyrgyz: бейбаш (beybaş) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Lao: ສາຣະໂກກ (sā ra kōk) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Lao: ນັກປຸ້ນ (nak pun) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Latvian: huligāns — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Lithuanian: chuliganas — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Lithuanian: triukšmadarys — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Macedonian: хулига́н (huligán) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Macedonian: хулига́нка (huligánka) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Malayalam: ഗുണ്ട (guṇṭa) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Māori: rarikena — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Persian: قلدر (qoldor) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Persian: لات (lât) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Polish: chuligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Polish: chuliganka — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Polish: zabijaka — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Polish: warchoł — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Polish: zakapiór — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Portuguese: hooligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Portuguese: vândalo — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Portuguese: arruaceiro — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Portuguese: baderneiro — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Romanian: huligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Russian: хулига́н (xuligán) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Russian: хулига́нка (xuligánka) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Russian: дебоши́р (debošír) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Russian: буя́н (buján) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Russian: зади́ра (zadíra) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Russian: забия́ка (zabijáka) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Serbo-Croatian: ху̏лига̄н — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Serbo-Croatian: ху̏лига̄нка — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Serbo-Croatian: hȕligān — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Serbo-Croatian: hȕligānka — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Slovak: chuligán — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Slovak: chuligánka — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Slovene: huligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Slovene: huliganka — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Spanish: gamberro — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Spanish: gamberra — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Spanish: vándalo — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Spanish: vándala — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Spanish: hooligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Swedish: huligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Tajik: авбош (avboš) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Tajik: безорӣ (bezori) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Thai: จิ๊กโก๋ (jík-gǒo) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Thai: นักเลง (nák-leeng) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Turkish: holigan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Turkmen: huligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Ukrainian: хуліга́н (xulihán) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Ukrainian: хуліга́нка (xulihánka) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Urdu: گنڈا (gunḍā) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Urdu: غنڈہ (ġunḍah) — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Uzbek: bezori — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Uzbek: xuligan — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Vietnamese: hô-li-gân — person that causes trouble or violence
  • Yiddish: כוליגאַן (khuligan) — person that causes trouble or violence