Mafia

noun

Ma·​fia ˈmä-fē-ə 

ˈma-

1

a

: a secret criminal society of Sicily or Italy

b

: a similarly conceived criminal organization in the U.S.

also : a similar organization elsewhere

the Japanese Mafia

c

: a criminal organization associated with a particular traffic

the cocaine Mafia

2

often not capitalized : a group of people likened to the Mafia

especially : a group of people of similar interests or backgrounds prominent in a particular field or enterprise : clique

Synonyms

• cabal
• conspiracy
• crew
• gang
• mob
• ring
• syndicate

Examples of Mafia in a Sentence

a member of the Mafia

He's an important figure in the television mafia.

Recent Examples on the Web

After initially suspecting Mafia involvement, investigators turned to the couple’s sons, Lyle, 21, and Erik, 18, as perpetrators of the murders. —India Roby, Architectural Digest, 25 Sep. 2024

The Paypal Mafia The Paypal Mafia, a term coined in a 2007 Fortune cover story, refers to a group of fintech innovators who launched the payments startup PayPal in 1998. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2024

Many were minors, particularly young women who did not want their families to marry them off to a Mafia associate. —D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024

Some Mexican Mafia members held at the maximum-security prison at Pelican Bay accused Estrada of being greedy, witnesses said. —Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Mafia, Maffia, a Sicilian secret criminal society, from Italian dialect (Sicily), probably from mafiusu

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing Mafia

• the Mafia

Kids Definition

Mafia

noun

Ma·​fia ˈmäf-ē-ə 

ˈmaf-

1

: a secret criminal society of Sicily or Italy

2

: a similar criminal organization in the U.S. or elsewhere

Geographical Definition

Mafia

geographical name

Ma·​fia ˈmä-fē-ə 

ˈma-

island of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean south of Zanzibar area 170 square miles (442 square kilometers), population 16,748