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

Relevance

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
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
  • Cartels, smaller mafias and street gangs hold sway in town halls and state governments around the country and have deepened their role in the economy.
    Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • Prosecutors argued the three women were killed in the crossfire of rival gangs’ gun battle in the middle of the bustling intersection as nightclubs closed early on April 3.
    Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
  • The conspiracies of the Heat mistakenly leaking James’ decision to return to Miami also picked up steam, and the Heat simultaneously skyrocketed on the Polymarket and Kalshi prediction market platforms as James’ next team.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
  • Despite the conspiracies and complaints, several state workers reported that the forum is extremely helpful for sharing information and getting professional advice.
    William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 21 July 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
  • Rather than working in large criminal syndicates as many Westerners assume, Yahoo Boys typically work alone, asking victims for money – most often in the form of gift cards.
    Mackenzie Farkus, Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2026
  • Until then, global syndicates will happily roll the dice on street-level arrests while the corporate entities handling the cash enable the pipeline.
    Ari Maas, New York Daily News, 11 July 2026
Verb
  • The team collaborates closely with global commercial bankers, Merrill, the private bank and the local market organization.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 15 July 2026
  • King Princess has also worked closely with Aaron Dessner, who often collaborates with Swift.
    Janey Wetzel, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
Noun
  • In traditional payments, networks and processors monetize volume.
    Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Chinese firm Huami explored a similar idea in early 2025, but its tracker still relied on telecom networks to send a dog’s location back to the owner’s phone.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 July 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cabals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cabals. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on cabals

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster