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
Look magazine had recently published a cover article that accused him of having multiple Mafia connections.
—
Michael S. Rosenwald, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
It often is used against gangs, ranging from the Mexican Mafia to South L.A.’s Crips.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
In the past year, Latin Mafia have become one of Mexico’s top acts without a record label or album.
—Lucas Villa, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2024
The user then showed followers that Rock Mafia are listed as producers and writers of Siwa's single, as well as with Antonia Armato, who wrote songs for Disney stars including Cyrus and Selena Gomez, per Genius.
—Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
The Mexican Mafia’s 140 or so members control the landscape that serves as both an incubator for new rappers and inspiration for their music.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Once a financial advisor to NFL football players, Blazer had been caught in a fraudulent ploy to misappropriate more than $2M from his clients to fund his hapless forays into the entertainment industry, including financing an instantly forgettable film called Mafia.
—Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
Big & Rich — the duo of Big Kenny Alphin and John Rich — will headline with special guest Gretchen Wilson in a mini-reunion of the Muzik Mafia that ran roughshod over the mid-2000s.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2024
Posing as a Mexican Mafia member can draw a death sentence from the gang.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Michael S. Rosenwald, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
It often is used against gangs, ranging from the Mexican Mafia to South L.A.’s Crips.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
In the past year, Latin Mafia have become one of Mexico’s top acts without a record label or album.
—Lucas Villa, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2024
The user then showed followers that Rock Mafia are listed as producers and writers of Siwa's single, as well as with Antonia Armato, who wrote songs for Disney stars including Cyrus and Selena Gomez, per Genius.
—Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
The Mexican Mafia’s 140 or so members control the landscape that serves as both an incubator for new rappers and inspiration for their music.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Once a financial advisor to NFL football players, Blazer had been caught in a fraudulent ploy to misappropriate more than $2M from his clients to fund his hapless forays into the entertainment industry, including financing an instantly forgettable film called Mafia.
—Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
Big & Rich — the duo of Big Kenny Alphin and John Rich — will headline with special guest Gretchen Wilson in a mini-reunion of the Muzik Mafia that ran roughshod over the mid-2000s.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2024
Posing as a Mexican Mafia member can draw a death sentence from the gang.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near Mafia
Cite this Entry
“Mafia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mafia. Accessed 28 Apr. 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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