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gang

gang

301 2.2
A group of people who work together on a job
  • noun
  • /ɡæŋ/
translation icon : grupo
  • Suddenly, he is mobbed by a gang of newsies, who tear up the papers.
  • a work gang

Happy Christmas to all the Patreon gang, AKA the Worms.

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Examples

  • After school, my friends and I formed a gang to explore the local forest.

  • And the leader of our gang of heroes was none other than Hayyim Cordoso.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Is this just our social gang and it's just us?

  • A gang of them was waiting for us at the northern point.

  • The gang is all here.

  • But then some of the other girls left the gang, too, and we started going back to school.

    Academic text (1998)
  • All right, gang, remember this is a contest, so there are special reward activities for the group that pulls together and does the best job.

  • To survive, Pal men organized into labor gangs and took up wage work with American employers.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The gang gathered at the park for their weekly game night.

  • We all went to the concert together; the gang had a great time dancing.

Synonyms

bunch
vsgang
  • Informal
1.4

A group of people who are often friends

is a more specific term for groups who closely associate or work together
circle
vsgang
318 3.3

A group of people with shared interests

is broader, applying to people who work together or spend time closely
crowd
vsgang
  • Informal
291 2.0

A group of friends someone often spends time with

is used for people who associate closely or work together
crew
vsgang
  • Informal
282 3.5

A group of friends who spend time together regularly

includes groups who work together or closely associate beyond friendship
posse
vsgang
  • Slang
44 6.8

A group of close friends who go out together

is more general, referring to any people who associate closely or work together
28 1.3

People who like each other and spend time together

is broader and also covers people who work together or closely associate
social group
vsgang
12 2.7

People who meet, talk, and feel they belong together

is more personal, focusing on close association or working relationships
peer group
vsgang
9 3.2

A group of people of similar age or background who influence each other

is different, covering any people who closely associate or work together

Antonyms

2.3

A single person or animal regarded separately from a group

79 4.2

A person who prefers to be alone and avoids spending time with others

Compounds

chain gang
  • Archaic
13 8.8

A group of prisoners chained together to do hard work as punishment

4 5.1

A violent fight between rival criminal groups

2 9.9

A group of Black people often involved in crime or violence

1 4.2

A group of young people who do crimes or cause trouble

1 4.2

A group of workers who build or fix roads

A violent left-wing group in Germany active from 1968 to 1977

gang plow
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A farm machine with two or more blades that turns several rows of soil at once

A violent left-wing group active in Germany from 1968 to 1977, also called the Red Army Faction

9.9

A violent group in the Philippines that kidnaps people and takes money by force

press gang
  • Archaic
9.7

A group that forced people to join the navy or army

section gang
  • Jargon
7.3

A group of workers who maintain a section of railway track

How Close

clique
45 6.4
gang
301 2.2
crew
1.3
team
1.0
group
1.0

Surface Forms

gang singular
gangs plural

Etymology

Gang comes from an old English word gan meaning 'to go', the same idea as the common verb go. So a gang was originally people who 'go' or work together, which is why we use it for a group of workers.