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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Recent Examples of cabals
Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
With a story of secret cabals and a child born to rule, Dumont projects the nasty prejudices and bureaucratic rigors of local politics, the tangles of family allegiances, and the tender grunge of young lust into divine and diabolical clashes run from celestial and subterranean castles.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
Noun
Thomas Pynchon’s latest novel, Shadow Ticket, set in 1932 Milwaukee, takes place in a landscape of industrial ghosts, strike-breakers, fascist sympathizers and absurdist cabals.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
With a story of secret cabals and a child born to rule, Dumont projects the nasty prejudices and bureaucratic rigors of local politics, the tangles of family allegiances, and the tender grunge of young lust into divine and diabolical clashes run from celestial and subterranean castles.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cabals
Verb
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The ash people’s perspective allies them with the group looking to strip-mine Pandora’s resources.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Deadly gangs control as much as 90% of Port-au-Prince, the country's capital, and swaths of land in the country’s central region.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
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The airspace between Haiti and the Dominican Republic was officially closed in March 2024 after armed gangs united and sought to overthrow the government of the prime minister at the time, Ariel Henry.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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These are in addition to private members clubs The Wilde and Cipriani, among other highlights.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
16 Jan. 2026
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Shane Stant clubs Kerrigan on the knee and flees the scene.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That’s what puts us in the bad position of believing in conspiracies.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
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Various media watchers have criticized One America News Network for airing false stories and conspiracies as news.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The criminal syndicates refitted their properties as centres where teams of workers – often trafficked and coerced – run online scams at scale.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
12 Apr. 2026
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Caleb Davies, another Kalshi trader who has earned $389,000 in culture markets over the past two years, says that the absence of financial organizations or syndicates of traders with big money allows knowledgeable traders to profit off of people who simply bet on their faves.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Above all, in targeting their next GM to work with head coach Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings are hoping to establish an infrastructure that collaborates as much in practice as in theory.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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The first release of an eight-album series in which American composer and pianist Michael Harrison collaborates with a global assortment of artists combining Eastern and Western musical traditions.—
Arts Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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After a casino owner turned TV star first became President of the United States, media networks further beefed up their political coverage by treating it like entertainment, amplifying juicy play-by-plays over granular dissections of policy.—
Paula Mejía,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
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Klose professionalized the leadership structure and established more competitive pay for the networks' hosts.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
15 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
Cite this Entry
“Cabals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cabals. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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