cabals 1 of 2

plural of cabal
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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cabals

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of cabal

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 cabals
Noun
Increasingly, his mind was preoccupied with extremist views and conspiracy theories, including secret government cabals and false-flag operations. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 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
  • Shifting international conversation The new commitments come as some Haitian observers try to shift the conversation around the crisis beyond suppressing armed gangs to other challenges.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The previous investigations were stalled because Haitian judges kept resigning from the case, fearing for their lives, and gangs seized control of the downtown Port-au-Prince courthouse where the judges were interrogating suspects.
    — EVENS SANON, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • After hearing a mysterious radio transmission, Hig becomes fixated on seeking more survivors and sets out on a mission that allies him with Cima (Margaret Qualley) and her father (Guy Pearce).
    — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • But the rub this time is the introduction of Varang (Oona Chaplin), an unhinged leader of a tribe who allies herself with human villains.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Noun
  • As the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris’ newfound bond with a pair of students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas) threatens to send everyone’s trip sideways.
    — Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Even the Lindsay Clancy trial — hearing all of those conspiracies is fascinating, and I get sucked down a rabbit hole really quickly.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • 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.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 30 May 2026
  • Their top-30 visits, where NFL clubs host prospects at their facilities to gather further intel, are often smokescreens.
    — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Ramaphosa announced that soldiers would be deployed to support police in tackling gang violence, as the government steps up its fight against criminal syndicates.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Complex investigations to dismantle drug trafficking syndicates can require advanced equipment, Casey Rayborn Hicks, a spokesperson for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, wrote in a statement.
    — Aneri Pattani — KFF Health News, STAT, 27 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The company operates as a specialist, non-bank senior lender with a team that collaborates across structured credit, investment banking and film and television finance.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The trips Sudō took with them, playing tour guide across remote regions of Japan, introduced her to many of the weavers and dyers, often working in small wooden ateliers attached to family homes, with whom Nuno still collaborates today.
    — Leslie Camhi, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Four people with knowledge of the matter, including a diplomatic source, told Reuters that the TPLF had ordered both companies to shut down the networks.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The other four networks in the pool, including ABC News, Fox News, CBS News and NBC News, suspended their participation in protest of the ban.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Because humans can readily resolve patterns in motion — when points move in the same direction, the brain groups them into a unified whole — the moving dots appear as faint letters.
    — Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Cabals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cabals. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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