(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a group of people, especially young people, who go around together and often deliberately cause trouble.
During the fight with a rival ~ he lashed out with his flick knife...
Gang members were behind a lot of the violence...
He was attacked by a ~ of youths.
N-COUNT: oft N of n
2.
A ~ is a group of criminals who work together to commit crimes.
Police were hunting for a ~ who had allegedly stolen fifty-five cars.
...an underworld ~.
...a ~ of masked robbers.
N-COUNT
3.
The ~ is a group of friends who frequently meet. (INFORMAL)
Come on over, we’ve got lots of the old ~ here.
N-SING: usu the N
4.
A ~ is a group of workers who do physical work together.
...a ~ of labourers.
N-COUNT: oft N of n