From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhooliganhoo‧li‧gan /ˈhuːləɡən/ noun [countable] VIOLENTa noisy violent person who causes trouble by fighting etc football hooligans —hooliganism noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
hooligan• Becoming a hooligan within the Rowdies group is not a simple matter.• Our safe places were attacked by hooligans, and the authorities looked the other way.• The exploits of football hooligans would probably be praised if they were part of resistance to an invading army.• Football hooligans caused over £30,000 of damage in bars and restaurants near the stadium.• His father was attacked by a gang of hooligans in a back street.• I think she and Phil were the nearest thing to soccer hooligans that canoeing can produce.• All this contrasts markedly with the media image of the hooligan as a purely destructive agent.• The hooligan froze, and withdrew.• These young hooligans are stealing cigarettes and booze to sell it cheaply to feed a habit.Origin hooligan (1800-1900) Perhaps from Patrick Hooligan, an Irish criminal in 19th-century London 