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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 

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 8 Nov. 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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