Mafia

noun

ˈmä-fē-ə How to pronounce Mafia (audio)
Definition of Mafianext
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 More than 30 people, including members and associates of four major Mafia crime families, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and ex-NBA player Damon Jones, have been ensnared in the scheme. — Tom Winter, NBC news, 10 June 2026 The Alphabet Mafia will not stand for straight attractive White girls to dominate their sport, regardless of the success that the new class has brought the league. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026 The game, which is essentially Mafia, hit big with nearly 500 million monthly active users by its peak in the fourth quarter of 2020, no doubt fueled by the at-home isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for Mafia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Mafia
  1. gang
  2. syndicate
  3. conspiracy
  4. mob
  5. clan
  6. network
Noun
  • Davis was charged with murder with the use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang.
    — Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Although gang ties to Tupac’s killing had been suspected from the beginning, the search for the killer was long hampered by the refusal of potential eyewitnesses to testify.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of gang
Noun
  • No, this a league run by an elite, backroom syndicate where real power-brokers hatch blockbuster moves long before any transaction window officially opens.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Informal mining is a deep problem in South Africa and is connected to criminal syndicates, according to authorities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of syndicate
Noun
  • Deputies booked the third suspect in the case, 20-year-old Liam Fairlie, with conspiracy to commit a crime and furnishing marijuana to a minor.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • And if Alito’s wife, Martha-Ann, minors in election conspiracies, Thomas’s wife, Ginni, majors in it, having explicitly urged lawmakers in two states to overturn Biden’s election.
    — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of conspiracy
Noun
  • Either way, eventually the discontent reaches a fever pitch and thousands of smallfolk form a mob and storm the Dragonpit.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • After all, the loosely autobiographical movie tells the story of a suburban family that becomes entangled with the Russian mob.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of mob
Noun
  • Unlike many agrarian states, which relied on centralized bureaucracies and hereditary elites, Mongol political culture emphasized personal loyalty, military ability, and flexible leadership within clan networks.
    — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The five-person clan (including a charming Max Greenfield as patriarch Ted, and Eitan Friedman and Matan Friedman as those wild brothers) live in relative domestic tranquility in Small Town Anywhere, USA.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of clan
Noun
  • Heavy deposits could collapse roofs, contaminate water, damage machinery, bury crops, disrupt power networks, and make roads difficult to use.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • During a 2024 ground-breaking ceremony for the bridge, city and state leaders called it a key link connecting JOST trails with the coastal trail network, the Santa Ana Mountains, and the Cleveland National Forest.
    — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of network

Browse Nearby Words

mafficks
Mafia
Mafias
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mafia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mafia. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on Mafia

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Mafia

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