cabal

[kuh-bal, kuh-bawl]

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.

verb (used without object)

caballed, caballing 

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

cabal

¹

/ 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

verb

1. to form a cabal; conspire; plot

Cabal

²

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• caballer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cabal¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cabal¹

C17: from French cabale, from Medieval Latin cabala; see _cabbala

Origin of cabal²

see _kabbalah ; by a coincidence, the initials of Charles II's ministers can be arranged to form this word

Synonym Study

See conspiracy.

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.

Read more on 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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

To Charlie Ledley at Cornwall Capital, the U.S. financial system appeared systematically corrupted by a cabal of Wall Street banks, rating agencies, and government regulators.

Read more on Literature

"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.

Read more on BBC

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

Read more on The Wall Street Journal