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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

That Epstein’s crimes were confined to himself and a few enablers, chiefly Ghislaine Maxwell, was intolerable to influencers and politicos determined to attribute all bad things to the dark workings of cabals.

From The Wall Street Journal

Angry traders slammed Polymarket on social media, complaining that a cabal of big traders had skewed the resolution process.

From The Wall Street Journal

This is evidently what the investment cabal has done.

From MarketWatch

Then he traces how a theocratic cabal, whose rule most observers thought would be short, found a way to consolidate power.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From The Wall Street Journal