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
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
California For Subscribers The Mexican Mafia Tapes: Secret recordings reveal greed, betrayal — and a deal with the feds
Sept. 4, 2024
Stinson had already been serving a life sentence for murdering a drug dealer in 1979.
—
Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
The Bills have won six straight AFC East titles, and nothing short of their first Super Bowl appearance since 1993 seems acceptable to their Mafia.
—Jack Magruder, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
He’s also accidentally stolen a giant gemstone owned by a Sicilian Mafia bigwig, however, and needs to retrieve it from his liason’s safety deposit box in the building’s vault or else.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025
For those who are living under a rock or without a Peacock subscription, the premise of The Traitors is the children’s game Mafia on a theatrical scale.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
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Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
The Bills have won six straight AFC East titles, and nothing short of their first Super Bowl appearance since 1993 seems acceptable to their Mafia.
—Jack Magruder, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
He’s also accidentally stolen a giant gemstone owned by a Sicilian Mafia bigwig, however, and needs to retrieve it from his liason’s safety deposit box in the building’s vault or else.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025
For those who are living under a rock or without a Peacock subscription, the premise of The Traitors is the children’s game Mafia on a theatrical scale.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for Mafia
Dictionary Entries Near Mafia
Cite this Entry
“Mafia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mafia. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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