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
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
Noun
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By 2001 coyotes were so much in the news in the Windy City that in that year Chicago homeowners listed them—not street gangs, not burglars, but coyotes—as the single greatest threat to their safety.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
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Cedre said Porter’s father was heavily involved with Compton gangs, but his mother worked tirelessly to help her son avoid that lifestyle — only for his life to end in gunfire anyway.—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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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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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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
Verb
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Apatow often collaborates with stylist Mimi Cuttrell.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
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To bring this concept to life, Wang collaborates with Hong Kong screenwriter Toe Yuen and co-producer Polly Yeung, who helped connect the project with partners in Japan and France.—
Lin Ying-Hsuan,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Large healthcare networks rely on complex systems and third-party vendors, which can slow forensic analysis in the early stages.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Jan. 2026
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The bill would require large financial institutions to allow at least two credit card payment processing networks to be used on their card cards—and one of them cannot be Visa or Mastercard.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Hamas has sought to exert control over the rest of the enclave, including in violent clashes with rival clans, some of which receive backing from Israel, and at least one public execution.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
3 Nov. 2025
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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
Noun
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Moments after talking to the alderwoman, Chicago Streets and Sanitation crews were out at night clearing trash, not tents.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
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Officials also touted their success in securing gap financing for Rose Creek Village, a complex of 59 studio apartments in Pacific Beach where crews broke ground in September.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cabals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cabals. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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