cabal 1 of 2

Definition of cabalnext
as in Mafia
a group involved in secret or criminal activities a conspiracy theory about the existence of an international cabal devoted to world domination

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

cabal

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun cabal differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of cabal are conspiracy, intrigue, machination, and plot. While all these words mean "a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end," cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence.

a cabal among powerful senators

Where would conspiracy be a reasonable alternative to cabal?

While in some cases nearly identical to cabal, conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery.

a conspiracy to fix prices

When could intrigue be used to replace cabal?

While the synonyms intrigue and cabal are close in meaning, intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity.

backstairs intrigue

In what contexts can machination take the place of cabal?

In some situations, the words machination and cabal are roughly equivalent. However, machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means.

the machinations of a party boss

When is plot a more appropriate choice than cabal?

The synonyms plot and cabal are sometimes interchangeable, but plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme.

an assassination plot

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 cabal
Noun
Cohen knows today’s podcasting cabal owes him a debt for pioneering its booking practices; Call Her Daddy and Las Culturistas don’t get to bounce between Michelle Obama and Huda Mustafa from Love Island USA without Cohen’s tradition of loving nosiness. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 4 May 2026 Meanwhile, a little over two-thirds of all players were net losers, functionally transferring their funds directly to the tiny cabal of predictive gurus. Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
Nothing was more to be desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue, and corruption. Martin Finucane, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2019 Powell is drawing encouragement from the significant losses of candidates who, like Burton, are backed by the Empower Texans cabal attempting to take control of the Texas Legislature. Richard Greene, star-telegram, 24 May 2018 See All Example Sentences for cabal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cabal
Noun
  • The series follows the Black Mafia Family in Detroit and is based on a true story.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
  • On the surface, the crime drama follows the rise and fall of the Black Mafia Family — one of the most influential crime families in the country.
    Kayla Grant, People.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The only offense against Burns came in the third inning, when Ben Rice clubbed his 22nd home run to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
    Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 June 2026
  • Jurors deliberated for a week before voting to convict 48-year-old Francesca Lopez in the death of Felipe Lopez-Custodio, who was clubbed to death with a piece of scrap wood and strangled with a cord inside his apartment on Jacqueline Way in Concord.
    Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
Noun
  • At one point, Jessie befriends a gang of tech toys that includes a low-tech potty-training product named Smarty Pants, along with GPS and camera devices Atlas and Snappy.
    Rachel Hale, USA Today, 26 June 2026
  • Pluverge, an ice cream maker at Taste the Tropics, came to the United States on asylum after he was kidnapped and tortured by gang members in his home country.
    Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • The leagued released a scheduling matrix with KU playing 18 Big 12 games.
    Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026
  • As with any reform, however, the devil is in the details, and some of those details still had fans and league insiders asking questions.
    John Hollinger, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • Because everyone will have access to the same information, AI will accentuate the value of personal connections, again promoting lineages and networks that at their most extreme may appear to be sinister establishment conspiracies.
    Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
  • Previous cloud-seeding controversies Cloud seeding is now at the center of the rise in weather‑control conspiracy narratives after disasters, such as the tragic Texas floods of 2025 that killed dozens of people, many of them children.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 27 June 2026
Verb
  • Haiti’s business community has long been criticized for monopolistic practices and a reluctance to collaborate.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026
  • Banks, whose leaders have long raised similar concerns, have been collaborating with the Treasury Department and Fed for years to develop other ways financial institutions could transfer funds in the event of a potentially disastrous outage.
    Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 26 June 2026
Noun
  • The following day, the syndicate said its Alexandria branch was closely monitoring developments surrounding the allegations at al-Shatabi Hospital.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 June 2026
  • Directed by action veteran Kenji Tanigaki and produced by Bill Kong, the martial arts showcase stars Xie Miao as Wang Wei, an ordinary man who unleashes a relentless rampage against a powerful child trafficking syndicate after his daughter is kidnapped.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 June 2026
Verb
  • The group is separate from, but allied with, Afghanistan’s Taliban, who seized power in Kabul in 2021.
    ABC News, ABC News, 20 June 2026
  • Vox is strongly supportive of Israel, whose government has allied with the party despite a history of neo-Nazis in its ranks.
    Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Cabal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cabal. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on cabal

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster