yakuza

noun

ya·​ku·​za ˈyä-ku̇-ˌzä How to pronounce yakuza (audio)
plural yakuza
1
: a Japanese gangster
2
: an organized crime syndicate in Japan

Examples of yakuza in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The result is shrinking yakuza groups that nowadays largely make headlines for disbanding, pursuing new law-abiding lives, or promising to behave. Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 May 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for yakuza

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, ruffian, gangster

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of yakuza was in 1964

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Cite this Entry

“Yakuza.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yakuza. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

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