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
Three 6 Mafia have resumed their legal battle against $uicideboy$, again accusing the duo of stealing their music without proper credit or compensation.
—
Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Latin Mafia have been playing a circuit of festival dates — slots at Coachella, Festival Estereo Picnic and their native Mexico’s Tecate Pal Norte — that will culminate with an appearance at Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, taking place on Nov. 16-17 in Los Angeles.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 28 Oct. 2024
This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin roundup and playlist — curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features fresh new music from artists including Sech, Latin Mafia, Alejandro Sanz, Yahritza y Su Esencia and more.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2024
Law & Order: Criminal Justice System, the long-running NBC crime franchise’s first original podcast, tackled the American Mafia in its first season.
—Peter White, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for Mafia 
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about these examples.
Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Latin Mafia have been playing a circuit of festival dates — slots at Coachella, Festival Estereo Picnic and their native Mexico’s Tecate Pal Norte — that will culminate with an appearance at Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, taking place on Nov. 16-17 in Los Angeles.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 28 Oct. 2024
This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin roundup and playlist — curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features fresh new music from artists including Sech, Latin Mafia, Alejandro Sanz, Yahritza y Su Esencia and more.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2024
Law & Order: Criminal Justice System, the long-running NBC crime franchise’s first original podcast, tackled the American Mafia in its first season.
—Peter White, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
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 14 Nov. 2024.
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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