Synonyms

Cosa Nostra

American

[koh-zuh nohs-truh] / ˈkoʊ zə ˈnoʊs trə /

noun

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

Cosa Nostra British

/ ˈkəʊsə ˈnɒstrə /

noun

the branch of the Mafia that operates in the US

"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

Etymology

Origin of Cosa Nostra

1960–65; < Italian: literally, our affair

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He had persuaded the F.B.I. to stop using the terms Mafia and Cosa Nostra in its news releases.

From New York Times • May 30, 2024

Former FBI Director James Comey described his first meeting with Trump, in which he demanded loyalty, as feeling “like Sammy the Bull’s Cosa Nostra induction ceremony.”

From Slate • Apr. 30, 2024

The finding comes after Italy's largest agricultural trade group, Coldiretti, condemned the Cosa Nostra product for associating itself with the Sicilian mafia.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2023

While Messina Denaro wielded great influence in the Mafia, for decades Cosa Nostra has lacked a supreme capo, investigators say.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2023

The arrest of Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro deals a powerful blow to the mythology of the Cosa Nostra, toppling a symbol of the group's resistance to police efforts to break up organised crime.

From Reuters • Jan. 17, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023