as in Mafias
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cabals
Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
The twilight of empire was also a time of conspiracy theories about international Jewish cabals, said to manipulate power through money and shadowy networks in order to rule the world.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cabals
Noun
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Some cultural differences slipped through their eyes, and New York gangs sometimes spoke like poets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Despite Luna establishing the Office of Constitutional Policing to root out deputy gangs, the county inspector general argued earlier this year that LASD had made no systemic effort to identify gang members within its ranks or investigate group misconduct.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Rudy, along with his boss, Bruiser, and her disheveled paralegal, Deck, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
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As other seemingly unconnected incidents start to happen around her (one friend goes missing, another is attacked), conspiracies are everywhere and Chloe must try to separate truth from fiction while fearing for her life.—
Kate Belli,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
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In the 2000s and 2010s, small funds and angel syndicates thrived.—
Roman Axelrod,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Longoria, who often collaborates with stylist Maeve Reilly, wore a black shirt with buttons running down the front placket and an open neckline with a sharp collar, revealing her delicate necklace featuring an outline of the state of Texas.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
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FinalSpark collaborates with ethicists to ensure the research remains within clear moral boundaries.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Even if the networks elect to tap the brakes on gambling ads in the near term, coverage of the NBA will remain a bit of a contextual minefield as long as Rozier and Billups remain in the headlines.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
24 Oct. 2025
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Varese notes that these families used to have a strong hand in the drug business, but were forced out by bigger supplier networks, significantly limiting their power and reach, which explains their involvement in smaller enterprises like gambling rings.—
Time,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In classical antiquity, the mountainous region was notorious for bandits; in modern times, blood feuds among clans were rife.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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But Gaza is home to numerous clans and militant groups, with score-settling and criminality posing a threat to order in the Palestinian enclave, even after the ceasefire.—
Christian Orozco,
NBC news,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The storm’s intensity has made these flights especially dangerous, as crews have encountered severe turbulence within the hurricane’s eyewall.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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On November 8, crews will carefully raise it into place on Center Plaza.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Many observers have pointed out the resemblance of the firing campaign to online mobs circa 2020, and the entire episode has reignited debates over the difference between free speech and social censure.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
17 Sep. 2025
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Violent mobs confronted the students on the first day of school, and initially, the Arkansas National Guard blocked them from entering the building under orders from segregationist Governor Orval Faubus.—
Time,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cabals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cabals. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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