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
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
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
-
As gangs continue to expand and consolidate territorial control, journalists remain in growing danger, according to the commission and other press freedom groups.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Growing up in Hollywood and Hyde Park, among other parts of the city, Mazariegos was intimately familiar with gun and gang violence.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Caleb Davies, another Kalshi trader who has earned $389,000 in culture markets over the past two years, says that the absence of financial organizations or syndicates of traders with big money allows knowledgeable traders to profit off of people who simply bet on their faves.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The four-hour epic by by Aditya Dahr is the sequel to Dhurandhar ($20 million in North American) and stars Ranveer Singh as an undercover Indian intelligence agent working to infiltrate Pakistani politics and Karachi’s criminal syndicates.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Taxstone, who pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to possess contraband in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced April 29.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Ramirez is charged with first-degree robbery, sixth-degree larceny and sixth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny, according to Wethersfield police.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In 1945, an angry mob confronted Aba Mizreh and four of his sons outside their former home in Paris.—
Shannon Fogg,
The Conversation,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Angry mobs burned down the offices of the prime minister and president, police stations and the homes of top politicians who were forced to flee on army helicopters.—
Binaj Gurubacharya,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Executioning was a hereditary métier, monopolized in Paris by the Sanson clan for nearly two centuries.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The purpose of our mountain drive this morning is to rendezvous with Fitz and the rest of the Caldwell clan and take advantage of the virgin powder now piling up around California’s Carson Pass.—
Namir Khaliq,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That fall, an old friend reached out to my father through the underground communications network, dialling a number printed on a faded piece of plastic Dymo tape and speaking to him from a public phone booth.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Your network is ready to grow, and travel, whether to see existing friends or connect with professional contacts, is well supported this month.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mafia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mafia. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
