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.
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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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Armed gangs are also active in the northwest and north-central parts of the country.
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Unlike the cat-starring books many Gen-Zers read in elementary school, this one follows a pair of rival gangs.
Verb
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The ash people’s perspective allies them with the group looking to strip-mine Pandora’s resources.
Noun
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And thus, the Roswell UFO conspiracies were born.
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Jackson is charged with multiple drug trafficking conspiracies, providing contraband in prison, evidence tampering, firearm offenses, and operating unregistered drones.
Verb
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That advantage was in large part offset by payments from UEFA’s ‘value pillar’, a mechanism which awards clubs money based upon their coefficient ranking (determined by past performance in European competition) and the size of their nation’s broadcast rights deal for the competition.
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Their top-30 visits, where NFL clubs host prospects at their facilities to gather further intel, are often smokescreens.
Noun
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Alongside that, South Africa’s police force has been embroiled in scandal, accused of corruption and collusion with criminal syndicates.
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Applying terrorism designations to criminal syndicates, Brazilian officials say, conflicts with domestic legal definitions and risks blurring distinctions underpinning international counterterrorism law.
Verb
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In 2026 the United States collaborates with Israel to kill Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei.
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Because Spielberg occasionally collaborates with his buddy George Lucas, Indy (Harrison Ford) isn’t encountering any straightforward aliens from another world during the film’s loopy climax.
Noun
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In Dublin and in later Irish protests outside asylum housing, far-right networks and online influencers used digital platforms to intensify grievances and spread anti-migrant views.
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The collaboration comes as demand grows for photonic technologies that can support next-generation telecommunications networks, advanced sensing systems, healthcare applications, and data center infrastructure.
Noun
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Warrior Cats is based on Erin Hunter’s feline book series that follows the adventures and drama of multiple clans of feral cats.
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The event consists of live music, competition events such as highland dancing and sheepdog trials, food vendors and educational classes on what Scottish clans are.
Cite this Entry
“Cabals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cabals. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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