noun / proper noun
mafia
MAH-fee-uh/ˈmɑːfiə/
An organized criminal network.
The mafia members intimidate the shopkeeper into handing over money.
Etymology
Italian mafia earlier meant a “spirit of hostility to the law” and also named a Sicilian criminal secret society. That society sense underlies the broader use for organized criminal groups.
In context
the Mafia could still make a lot of money from no-show jobs, where the unions organized for salaries to be paid to people who were employees in name only.
More examples
- The investigation targeted a local mafia network.
- Witnesses described threats from the mafia.
- The novel follows a family entangled with the Mafia.
Forms
mafia · mafias
Similar words
- syndicate
- An organized group that need not be criminal.
- gang
- Often a smaller or less structured criminal group.