as in gang
a group involved in secret or criminal activities
the local Mafia largely finances itself through extortion rackets and drug trafficking
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of Mafia
Presley’s friends in the Memphis Mafia were convinced that Elvis wanted to tour the world and blamed Parker’s fear of deportation.
—
Kim Willis, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025
Latin Mafia’s appearance at Lollapalooza felt, to many, like a tribute to Latin music.
—Sophie Levenson, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025
Swedish House Mafia plays the second weekend of Tomorrowland 2025 today.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 25 July 2025
De Soto Music and shopping together The Rhythm & Roots Market will feature Superstar Mafia from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, July 25, in Downtown DeSoto.
—Debra Skodack, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for Mafia
Kim Willis, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025
Latin Mafia’s appearance at Lollapalooza felt, to many, like a tribute to Latin music.
—Sophie Levenson, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025
Swedish House Mafia plays the second weekend of Tomorrowland 2025 today.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 25 July 2025
De Soto Music and shopping together The Rhythm & Roots Market will feature Superstar Mafia from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, July 25, in Downtown DeSoto.
—Debra Skodack, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for Mafia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Mafia
Noun
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Hospitals that haven’t been looted, burned or shuttered are dealing with limited budgets and the tightening grip of armed gangs.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
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But according to federal officials, the Punjabi Devils were an outlaw gang with ties to the Hells Angels, whose members often wore patches with an outline of Punjab, a region that includes northern India and central eastern Pakistan, and a turbaned skull.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
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The new report describes a sprawling transnational criminal system in which Brazilian syndicates, Colombian guerrilla dissidents, Ecuadorian gangs and local crime families collaborate and compete simultaneously while moving drugs, gold, weapons and money across porous borders.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
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The syndicate desks engineered the pop by only offering a sliver of stock.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
3 May 2026
Noun
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French was convicted in February of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to offer, pay, solicit and receive kickbacks.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
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That's a conspiracy White seemed to downplay at the post-event presser.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Noun
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He’d just been followed down a country highway by an angry mob, which screamed cusses and gave him the finger.—
Chris Smith,
Vanity Fair,
11 May 2026
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Not even the pork choppers were as arrogant and scornful of voting rights as the current mob.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
Noun
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This time, the Sully clan is at war with a fiery enemy Na’vi tribe on Pandora.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
12 May 2026
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The Cox clan would eat dinner at Adairsville’s posh Barnsley Gardens and breakfast at Patty’s, a famous truck stop.—
Mark Bradley for the AJC,
AJC.com,
9 May 2026
Noun
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That means viewership around such stuff is smaller, and the networks need to show that ads are reaching not the most people, but rather the most likely people to be interested in a bottle of soda, a specific kind of running shoe, or a new weight-loss drug.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
15 May 2026
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There are tall barriers to entry for anyone looking to compete with SpaceX and Blue Origin to put data center networks into orbit.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mafia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mafia. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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