yakuza
noun
ya·ku·za
ˈyä-ku̇-ˌzä 
plural yakuza
1
: a Japanese gangster
2
: an organized crime syndicate in Japan
Examples of yakuza in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
So, while this film is about a yakuza, the heart of the story is showing the life of someone who’s kind of gone off the rails in society.
—
Kambole Campbell, Variety, 12 June 2025
But last week four men were arrested in Tokyo for a more mundane crime - operating a yakuza office too close to a library.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 May 2025
Subprime Directives Whatever hold the yakuza has on Mixxy has clearly been withheld to allow Apple TV+ to wring another season out of Sunny.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2024
Membership to yakuza groups across Japan has been in decline over recent decades.
—Junko Ogura, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yakuza
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kambole Campbell, Variety, 12 June 2025
But last week four men were arrested in Tokyo for a more mundane crime - operating a yakuza office too close to a library.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 May 2025
Subprime Directives Whatever hold the yakuza has on Mixxy has clearly been withheld to allow Apple TV+ to wring another season out of Sunny.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2024
Membership to yakuza groups across Japan has been in decline over recent decades.
—Junko Ogura, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yakuza
Cite this Entry
“Yakuza.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yakuza. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share