Mafia

noun

Ma·​fia ˈmä-fē-ə How to pronounce Mafia (audio)
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

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 The Traitors is essentially the sleepover game Mafia, plus capes. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 6 Mar. 2024 After retiring as executive producer and vice chairman of Spelling Television, Vincent wrote four novels: Mafia Summer, Black Widow, The Strip, and The Camelot Conspiracy. Marc Berman, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Mexican Mafia members held a 30-man conference call, dialing in from various state prisons on contraband cellphones, a witness testified. Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 During the same call, Troxell also referenced an incident where an Aryan Brotherhood member from Contra Costa County — Ronnie Irwin — attacked a Mexican Mafia member with a bar of soap in a sock. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024 Swedish House Mafia is also playing summer festivals including Tomorrowland and a residency at Ushuaïa Ibiza. Katie Bain, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2024 La Mafia from Texas was probably the biggest thing. Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2024 Also on the list is the 2013 nonfatal stabbing of a member of the Family Affiliated Irish Mafia at High Desert State Prison, which allegedly was ordered by co-defendant Jason Corbett. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2024 And by the way, life back in the day was part of the PayPal Mafia. Fortune Editors, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Mafia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of Mafia was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near Mafia

Cite this Entry

“Mafia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mafia. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Mafia

noun
Ma·​fia ˈmäf-ē-ə How to pronounce Mafia (audio)
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 How to pronounce Mafia (audio)
ˈma-
island of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean south of Zanzibar area 170 square miles (442 square kilometers), population 16,748

More from Merriam-Webster on Mafia

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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