Cosa Nostra

[ koh-zuh-nohs-truh ]

/ ˈkoʊ zə ˈnoʊs trə /

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See synonyms for Cosa Nostra on Thesaurus.com

noun

a secret association engaged in organized crime in the U.S., modeled after and affiliated with the Mafia.

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Origin of Cosa Nostra

1960–65; <Italian: literally, our affair

Words nearby Cosa Nostra

coryphaeus, coryphée, coryphodon, coryza, cos, Cosa Nostra, COSAS, COSATU, Cosby, Cosby, Bill, coscenarist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Cosa Nostra in a sentence

Little Cafe Poca Cosa is a restaurant where vegetarians can eat very well.
Holy Molé: Tucson’s Mexican Food with a Kick|Jane & Michael Stern|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“He was living in hiding, not from law enforcement, but from La Cosa Nostra,” the lawyer told the court.
A True Tough Guy: The Mafia, Gays, and Michael Sam’s Boyfriend|Michael Daly|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Here is the best book I have read on the role of organized crime in southern Italy, John Dickie's Cosa Nostra.
You Know Who's More Corrupt than America?|David Frum|October 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
As John Dickie tells it in his riveting and convincing Cosa Nostra, Italy's Mafia problem is not a problem born of culture.
David's Book Club: Cosa Nostra (Part 2)|David Frum|August 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Cosa Nostra is a history, not a treatise, and a gripping history at that.
David's Book Club: Cosa Nostra (Part 1)|David Frum|August 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Ella comen cierto la pltica con el mayor tiento que yo he visto tener jamas nadie en cosa.
History of the Rise of the Huguenots|Henry Baird
In his extremity, he was rescued by La Cosa who had kept in hand a moiety of the shore party.
South American Fights and Fighters|Cyrus Townsend Brady
So true is the Italian proverb: Ogn' un ama la giustizia in cosa d altrui.
The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau, Complete|Jean Jacques Rousseau
The arms presented a crowned half figure of Queen Elizabeth, with the motto, "Virginitas et unitas nostra fraternitas."
Bygone London|Frederick Ross
Majuvias, Saracenorum rex, qui nostra tate fuit, judex postulatus.
Early Travels in Palestine|Arculf et al.

British Dictionary definitions for Cosa Nostra

Cosa Nostra

/ (ˈkəʊsə ˈnɒstrə) /

noun

the branch of the Mafia that operates in the US

Word Origin for Cosa Nostra

Italian, literally: our thing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012