as in gang
a group involved in secret or criminal activities the local Mafia largely finances itself through extortion rackets and drug trafficking

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Mafia In the upcoming season, Bumpy intensifies his bloody war against New York’s Mafia families while facing a formidable new rival: Black gangster Frank Lucas, portrayed by Rome Flynn. Okla Jones, Essence, 3 Jan. 2025 Latin Mafia: Playing the Van Buren in Phoenix on Friday, Jan. 24. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 1 Jan. 2025 Additional guests include Riley Green, Bailey Zimmerman, T-Pain, Diplo, Wiz Khalifa, The War on Drugs, 2 Chainz, Chase Rice, Three 6 Mafia, 3 Doors Down, Ella Langley, ERNEST, Morgan Wade, Moneybagg Yo and more. Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 31 Dec. 2024 The musical event took place in Chicago with Swedish House Mafia as headliners, and the proceeds went toward Ferrell’s Cancer For College organization, which gives college scholarships to cancer survivors. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 30 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Mafia 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Mafia
Noun
  • The situation has been largely caused by gang violence in the Caribbean country.
    Trisha Thomas, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
  • Today, the economy is in ruins and gang violence and kidnappings are a staple of daily life in the capital.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The executive orders will include deploying American troops to the southern border, ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, dismantling programs initiated under President Joe Biden, and taking steps to target transnational crime syndicates.
    Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Porter admitted to leaving an NBA game early, then conspiring with a syndicate manipulate the outcome of a Same Game Parlay (SGP).
    Matt Rybaltowski, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The defendants were charged with 45 counts relating to the scheme, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud, and aiding and assisting in preparing false tax returns.
    Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2025
  • For her part, MacArthur on Friday focused the prosecution argument on the marquee count in the indictment: the racketeering conspiracy.
    Ray Long, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Bening will play Priscilla, a dangerous mob leader.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2025
  • Salvini’s call was accompanied by mob violence, mass evictions and demolition of Roma informal camps set up in the streets.
    Ronald Niezen, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Not just members of his extended clan — the Kushners, the Trumps — but others whom he’s known for decades, including a commercial real-estate exec who met him on the charity circuit and a former real-estate attorney who testified on his behalf during his hush-money trial.
    Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Jan. 2025
  • As Donald Trump takes his oath of office to become the 47th President of the United States and begin his second tenure, politicians, the Trump clan, tech titans et al have arrived at the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. to bear witness.
    Vogue, Vogue, 20 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • But a concerted attack on data cables could paralyze many nations’ communications networks, jeopardizing hospital surgeries, police responses and more.
    Anna Cooban, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025
  • Continue reading … Click here for more cartoons… MEDIA SWIFT EXIT – CNN staffers shocked by Jim Acosta's abrupt departure from network.
    Fox News, Fox News, 29 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near Mafia

Cite this Entry

“Mafia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Mafia. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

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