gang
[noun]
Synonyms: group, band, clique, club, company, coterie, crowd, mob, pack, squad, team

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English Thesaurus: group, crowd, mob, mass, bunch, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. gang¹ S3 /ɡæŋ/ noun [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: 'way, journey'; the modern meaning comes from the idea of a group of people "going" together]

1.
a) a group of young people who spend time together, and who are often involved in crime or drugs and who often fight against other groups:
two rival street gangs
gang member/member of a gang
The parents have denied that their son is a gang member.
the problem of inner-city gang violence
a victim of gang warfare
b) a group of young people together in one place, especially young people who might cause trouble
gang of
There were always gangs of kids hanging around the mall.

2. a group of criminals who work together:
Several gangs were operating in the area.
Armed gangs have hijacked lorries.
gang of
a gang of smugglers

3. informal a group of friends, especially young people:
The whole gang will be there next weekend.

4. a group of workers or prisoners doing physical work together
⇒ chain gang

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. gang² verb
gang together phrasal verb
if people gang together, they form a group in order to do something together, especially to oppose something:
The smaller shopkeepers ganged together to beat off competition from the supermarkets.
gang up on/against somebody phrasal verb
if people gang up on someone, they join together to attack, criticize, or oppose them, especially in a way that seems unfair:
Schoolchildren are quick to gang up on anyone who looks or behaves differently.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

gang
noun
I. group of criminals
ADJ. street a street gang known as the Hooligans
armed, criminal, organized, terror/terrorist The robbery was carried out by an armed gang.
teenage | rival Fights had ensued between rival gangs of football fans.
VERB + GANG belong to, join A lot of the lads belong to gangs. He pressed me to join his gang.
GANG + NOUN attack, fight, violence, warfare a gang fight between two rival teenage gangs
leader, member | life a tale of LA gang life
rape
PREP. in a/the ~ We were in the same gang.
~ of a gang of skinheads
PHRASES a member of a gang

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

gang
II. group of friends
PREP. ~ of You probably go with a gang of friends to the same pub most Saturdays.
PHRASES one of the gang Her friends made me feel welcome and treated me as one of the gang.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

gang

a criminal gang
He had links with drug smuggling and criminal gangs.
an armed gang (=with guns)
An armed gang stole jewels worth more than five million pounds.
a rival gang
Fighting between rival gangs left dozens of people injured.
a street gang (=which spends a lot of time on the streets)
He belonged to a notorious street gang which terrorized a Chicago suburb.
a teenage/youth gang
At age nine, Pedro joined one of the youth gangs in his neighborhood, just to survive.
a gang member/a member of a gang
Gang members are thought to be responsible for up to 20% of murders in the city.
a gang leader
Gang leaders used cellphones to order the attacks.
gang violence
Residents say that gang violence is common.
gang warfare (=fighting between gangs)
Gang warfare is wrecking the neighborhood.
gang crime (=crime committed by gangs)
The initiative aims to cut gang crime in Los Angeles.
gang activity
In most areas, gun crime is linked to gang activity.
join a gang
He was only eight when he joined the gang.
belong to a gang
Eleven men belonging to a local gang were arrested.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

group several people together in the same place:
A group of boys stood by the school gate.
Arrange yourselves in groups of three.
crowd a large group of people who have come to a place to do something:
There were crowds of shoppers in the streets.
The crowd all cheered.
mob a large, noisy, and perhaps violent crowd:
An angry mob of demonstrators approached.
mass a large group of people all close together in one place, so that they seem like a single thing:
The square in front of the station was a solid mass of people.
bunch informal a group of people who are all similar in some way:
They’re a nice bunch of kids.
gang a group of young people, especially a group that often causes trouble and fights:
He was attacked by a gang of youths.
rabble a noisy group of people who are behaving badly:
He was met by a rabble of noisy angry youths.
horde a very large group of people who all go somewhere:
In summer hordes of tourists flock to the island.
There were hordes of people coming out of the subway.
crew a group of people who all work together, especially on a ship or plane:
the ship’s crew
The flight crew will serve drinks shortly.
party a group of people who are travelling or working together:
A party of tourists stood at the entrance to the temple.
herd a group of cows, deer, or elephants:
A herd of cows was blocking the road.
team a group of people who work together:
She is being cared for by a team of doctors.
flock a group of sheep or birds:
a flock of seagulls
The farmer has over 100 sheep in his flock.
pack a group of dogs or wolves:
Some dogs are bred to work in packs.
litter a group of kittens or puppies born at one time to a particular mother:
He was one of a litter of seven puppies.
school/shoal a group of fish or dolphins:
Piranha fish live in shoals in the wild.
bundle several papers, clothes, or sticks held or tied together in an untidy pile:
Bundles of papers and files filled the shelves.
cluster a group of things of the same kind that are close together in a place:
a cluster of stars
Our road ended at a cluster of cottages.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

gang
̈ɪɡæŋ
See: road gang , section gang

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲