as in gangs
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Mafias
Noun
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The pacing was a little ironic, given the fact Martinez requested a speedy trial, but his attorneys wanted to go through several pieces of evidence before they were presented to the jury — mostly transcripts with references to gangs.—
Sara Machi,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026 -
Its possible seizure by gangs or political spoilers would be widely viewed as a sign of total state collapse.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Outside the capital, guerrilla groups and organized crime syndicates are exploiting the power vacuum along Venezuela’s borders and in its resource-rich interior.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Many of the scam compounds operating across Southeast Asia are run by Chinese crime syndicates.—
Ladan Anoushfar,
CNN Money,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Trump has also repeatedly lashed out over the state’s incarceration of Tina Peters, the former county clerk convicted of state felonies related to her attempts to prove discredited election conspiracies shared by the president.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
9 Jan. 2026
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Contrary to what many may think, the researchers found no correlation between a person’s level of education and their capacity to believe in absurd conspiracies.—
Joe Wilkins Published Jan 8,
Futurism,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For example, Crow people have held onto their nation's language; neighbors are often family, or considered such; and many tribal members rely on their clans to mentor children, who eventually become mentors themselves for the next generation.—
Katheryn Houghton,
NPR,
8 Jan. 2026
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But when Klaus’ toys begin to cheer up the children of Smeerensburg — a town whose inhabitants are perpetually engaged in a feud between two familial clans — Jesper and Klaus must step out of their comfort zones to help save the town from itself.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Traditional infrastructures depend on predictable, centralized controls, whereas the Web3 environment operates on open networks, real-time settlement, and evolving code.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
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Blue Origin claims the satellites positioned in medium Earth orbit will reach speeds of 6 terabits per second, which is much faster than the hundreds of megabits offered by today’s leading satellite networks.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Mafias.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mafias. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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