cabal

American  

[kuh-bal, kuh-bawl] / kəˈbæl, kəˈbɔl /

noun

1. a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority.

   Synonyms:

   ring , league , band , faction , junta

2. the plots and schemes of such a group; intrigue.

3. a clique, as in artistic, literary, or theatrical circles.

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verb (used without object)

caballed, caballing

1. to form a cabal; intrigue; conspire; plot.

cabal ¹ British  

/ kəˈbæl /

noun

1. a small group of intriguers, esp one formed for political purposes

2. a secret plot, esp a political one; conspiracy; intrigue

3. a secret or exclusive set of people; clique

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verb

1. to form a cabal; conspire; plot

Cabal ² British  

/ kəˈbæl /

noun

1. English history a group of ministers of Charles II that governed from 1667–73: consisting of Clifford, Ashley, Buckingham, Arlington, and Lauderdale

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Related Words

See conspiracy.

Other Word Forms

• caballer noun

Etymology

Origin of cabal

First recorded in 1610–20, for an earlier sense; earlier cabbal, from Medieval Latin cabbala; kabbalah

Example Sentences

Epstein kind of hits all of these, that there’s this elite cabal that’s orchestrating things that ultimately are against the interests of we the people, with a sort of antisemitic strain to this.

From Salon

Hard to imagine if not for the serial lies, and then their exposure, of the Clinton, Obama and Biden cabals, helped along by a compromised news media.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Within the CCM, she resorted to a Magufuli script of manipulating the party, centralising power and creating a cabal of trusted loyalists as the new fulcrum of power," said Prof Kagwanja.

From BBC

The danger here goes beyond the podcast cabal and a misguided think-tank leader.

From The Wall Street Journal

This proposition wasn’t foisted on the new nation by some elite cabal.

From The Wall Street Journal