Cosa Nostra

[ koh-zuh -nohs-truh ]

/ ˈkoʊ zə ˈnoʊs trə /

Save This Word!

noun

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

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of Cosa Nostra

1960–65; <Italian: literally, our affair

Words nearby Cosa Nostra

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

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