as in Mafia
a group involved in secret or criminal activities
a conspiracy theory about the existence of an international cabal devoted to world domination
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as in to club
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cabal
Richard Hall, Time, 22 Nov. 2025
Epstein kind of hits all of these, that there’s this elite cabal that’s orchestrating things that ultimately are against the interests of we the people, with a sort of antisemitic strain to this.
—Alex Hinton, The Conversation, 18 Nov. 2025
Martin Finucane, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2019
Powell is drawing encouragement from the significant losses of candidates who, like Burton, are backed by the Empower Texans cabal attempting to take control of the Texas Legislature.
—Richard Greene, star-telegram, 24 May 2018
See All Example Sentences for cabal
Noun
She became known during her run for office as a promoter of QAnon, a set of sprawling theories centered around the idea that the world is controlled by a satanic cabal of pedophiles and cannibals, and that Trump is involved in a fight against them.
—Richard Hall, Time, 22 Nov. 2025
Epstein kind of hits all of these, that there’s this elite cabal that’s orchestrating things that ultimately are against the interests of we the people, with a sort of antisemitic strain to this.
—Alex Hinton, The Conversation, 18 Nov. 2025
Verb
Nothing was more to be desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue, and corruption.
—Martin Finucane, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2019
Powell is drawing encouragement from the significant losses of candidates who, like Burton, are backed by the Empower Texans cabal attempting to take control of the Texas Legislature.
—Richard Greene, star-telegram, 24 May 2018
See All Example Sentences for cabal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cabal
Noun
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The series follows the Black Mafia Family in Detroit and is based on a true story.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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On the surface, the crime drama follows the rise and fall of the Black Mafia Family — one of the most influential crime families in the country.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Two days before the 1994 US Figure Skating Championships, Nancy Kerrigan was walking to her locker after practice when she was clubbed above the knee by a stranger.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
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These are in addition to private members clubs The Wilde and Cipriani, among other highlights.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As armed gangs now control up to 90% of metropolitan Port-au-Prince and parts of the Artibonite region -- areas that together represent roughly 60% of the electorate -- Washington has emphasized the need for stability and a swift path to elections rather than a prolonged transition.—
JACQUELINE CHARLES MIAMI HERALD,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
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As armed gangs now control up to 90% of metropolitan Port-au-Prince and parts of the Artibonite region — areas that together represent roughly 60% of the electorate — Washington has emphasized the need for stability and a swift path to elections rather than a prolonged transition.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After playing host to league newcomer Boston on May 30 (more about expansion in a moment), the Current’s next home game isn’t until July 17, the Friday before the World Cup final.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
15 Jan. 2026
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Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert missed Tuesday’s game in Milwaukee due to league suspension after accruing his sixth flagrant foul in Sunday’s win over San Antonio.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In December, the judges ruled Lai was the mastermind of the conspiracies and never wavered in his intention to destabilize the ruling Chinese Communist Party.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The indictment document is sealed, though the Associated Press reported that Lemon is facing charges related to conspiracy and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Act.—
Erin Glynn,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For example, if ST Engineering can make advanced vehicles in a country with more space for production plants than Singapore, the company would collaborate and teach them how to build them in a co-production effort.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2026
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Anthropic acknowledges this approach will create friction for legitimate security researchers and defensive work, and has committed to collaborating with the security community to address those challenges.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Manteris’s nemesis, Billy Walters, one of the winningest sports bettors of all time, belonged to a syndicate called the Computer Group, which must’ve sounded fearsomely futuristic in the eighties.—
Dan Piepenbring,
New Yorker,
4 Feb. 2026
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His son, Paolo, now a district representative in Davao, was rumored to have a Triad crime syndicate tattoo on his back, and refused to remove his shirt in a Senate panel on drug smuggling.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Braverman shot down the idea of allying with her former party in an interview with the Telegraph.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Jan. 2026
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The group is known to work with Los Viagras, a criminal organization allied with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cabal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cabal. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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