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 designation has since been renewed multiple times as the country faces a host of crises, including widespread violence by armed gangs, food insecurity, displacement and a leadership vacuum after the president was assassinated in 2021.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026 -
Schoeman van Jaarsveld dedicated his life to protecting rhinos from poaching gangs in South Africa.—
Ryan Brennan
April 27,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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As with other criminal syndicates, the cartel has long oiled the gears of corruption with bribes.—
Steve Fisher,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Greg began creating and submitting comic strip ideas to syndicates, collecting an impressive pile of rejection slips.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The operation primarily centered around false and often bizarre claims about grand conspiracies and government wrongdoing.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
20 Apr. 2026
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That’s what puts us in the bad position of believing in conspiracies.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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However, the ruthless King Saran (Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor) has suppressed magic users and enacts a rule of terror, which Zelie hopes to end in order to reunite Orisha’s clans.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
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After fighting to find their way back to one another, Henry and Julia were at the standing stones of Craig Na Dun, hoping to return to their own time, and Brian and Ellen’s romantic escape was interrupted as the 1715 Jacobite Rising began, thrusting the clans into war.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And streamers, which once prided themselves on being the anti-networks, are once again taking a cue from the way TV used to be made.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
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The dark forms of lunar maria, or lunar seas, will be easy to see with the naked eye, scarring the lunar surface where ancient lava flows once flooded networks of impact basins before hardening to form sweeping basaltic planes.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Mafias.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mafias. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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