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
Additional festival highlights have included the reunion between the late Gangsta Boo and Three 6 Mafia, OutKast’s Big Boi and André 3000 joining The Dungeon Family onstage and Nas celebrating the 25th anniversary of debut album Illmatic.
—
Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 9 Aug. 2024
For fans of Caravaggio, two of his paintings can be found in Messina and Siracusa, while a third, found in the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo, exists now merely as a replica, but with a fascinating backstory involving a Mafia robbery.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2024
Giacalone, Anthony's brother and also a Mafia captain.
—John Wisely, Detroit Free Press, 30 July 2024
The patient confesses to being the head of the Irish Mafia and spills out his darkest deeds and secrets.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for Mafia 
Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 9 Aug. 2024
For fans of Caravaggio, two of his paintings can be found in Messina and Siracusa, while a third, found in the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo, exists now merely as a replica, but with a fascinating backstory involving a Mafia robbery.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2024
Giacalone, Anthony's brother and also a Mafia captain.
—John Wisely, Detroit Free Press, 30 July 2024
The patient confesses to being the head of the Irish Mafia and spills out his darkest deeds and secrets.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for Mafia
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 19 Aug. 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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