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

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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Mafia
Noun
  • Abrego Garcia entered the country illegally more than a decade ago but had a court order blocking his deportation to El Salvador over what a judge found was a credible fear of persecution by gangs there.
    Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The group’s name refers to three infamous cybercrime gangs—Scattered Spider, LAPSUS, and Shiny Hunters—each responsible for a string of breaches in recent years.
    Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Today, Mak says the syndicate’s roughly 250 members include tech founders, Wall Street financiers, company executives, intelligence officials, former military leaders and Navy SEALs.
    Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
  • When Hernán helps Julia and her young daughter, Maribel, navigate treacherous borderlands, their desperate journey triggers the wrath of a ruthless trafficking syndicate.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Kormarczyk was indicted on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit unlicensed money transmitting, while Carbajal was indicted for conspiracy to commit unlicensed money transmitting.
    Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in May 2020.
    Hanna Park, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • There would be accusations of race manipulation, an online mob discrediting Wallace’s win as undeserved, and an angry Joe Gibbs Racing organization, which would now realize Hamlin puts another team’s interests ahead of their own.
    Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Trump first began suggesting Wray should be be investigated by the Justice Department after the conservative outlet The Blaze, citing an unidentified congressional source, reported last week that 274 FBI agents had been embedded in the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol.
    Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Members of the 1860s clan include Arthur (Anthony Boyle), Edward (Louis Partridge), Anne (Emily Fairn) and Ben (Fionn O’Shea).
    Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
  • The third installment will see the return of Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña’s Jake Sully and Neytiri whose family and clan encounter an enemy Na’vi group called the Ash People.
    Andrew McGowan, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Tides Center, part of the larger Tides network, is under House Ways and Means Committee scrutiny for supporting anti-Israel groups like the Adalah Justice Project, Palestine Legal, the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, and the Catalyst Project.
    Christine Valora, The Washington Examiner, 28 Sep. 2025
  • More fat on the arms, legs and trunk was linked to a thinner cortex in the brain’s default-mode and limbic networks – systems that support memory, internal focus and emotional regulation – pointing to slightly less efficient recall and mood control.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mafia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mafia. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

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