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
  • The discovery raises the possibility of a grim outcome in the search for the four men, which has led to El Salvador deploying 450 special forces soldiers to Haiti as of Friday to aid the gang-fighting force in the search.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
  • One of the houses reportedly belonged to Chen Mechan, or Mad Dog, the gang accused of launching the attack on the technicians.
    — Widlore Mérancourt, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of gang
Noun
  • Despite the reactionary politics of the yakuza films, not to mention of the syndicates themselves, Ken-san was very popular among left-wing student protesters in the late nineteen-sixties.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Musk’s name is one of a number of wealthy individuals that Paramount CEO David Ellison has considered tapping for the syndicate, the people said.
    — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of syndicate
Noun
  • In 2018, Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud and conspiracy, and the Department of Justice sold the record to help pay his reparations.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Rodriguez Melendez also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of conspiracy
Noun
  • Violent mobs carrying Palestinian flags clashed with police, looted hundreds of stores, and flooded social media with over 1,300 hateful anti-Semitic posts.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • More than 40 people were killed, mostly Muslims, by Hindu mobs.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of mob
Noun
  • Advertisement The docuseries marks the first time the Loofe clan is sharing their side of the story, along with Nebraska investigators and an FBI agent assigned to the case.
    — Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • All of these came from the family’s own archives, a treasure trove that shows the focus on craftsmanship that is almost genetic to the Prada clan.
    — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of clan
Noun
  • The additional site will further strengthen the company’s manufacturing network in Colorado and provide additional capacity for its growing space and sensor systems business.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Elon Musk, who has spent more than four hundred million dollars on Republican campaigns this election cycle, slowed Ukraine’s access to his Starshield satellite network, leaving that country more vulnerable to Russian attacks.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of network

Browse Nearby Words

mafficks
Mafia
Mafias
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Cite this Entry

“Mafia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mafia. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Mafia

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