Mafia

American  

[mah-fee-uh, maf-ee-uh] / ˈmɑ fi ə, ˈmæf i ə /

Rarely Maffia

noun

1. the Mafia, a hierarchically structured secret organization allegedly engaged in smuggling, racketeering, trafficking in narcotics, and other criminal activities in the United States, Italy, and elsewhere.

2. Usually mafia any criminal organization viewed as similar to the Mafia.

   The movie concerns a low-life gambler who borrows money from the French mafia for a seat at a high-stakes poker game.

3. Often mafia any small but powerful or influential group in an organization or field; an inordinately prominent and controlling clique.

   It was difficult to be the only woman involved in this macho, musical mafia.

4. (in Sicily)

   1. mafia, a popular attitude of hostility to legal restraint and to the law, often manifesting itself in criminal acts.

   2. a 19th-century secret society, similar to the Camorra in Naples, associated with this attitude toward law and crime.

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Mafia British  

/ ˈmæfɪə /

noun

1. an international secret organization founded in Sicily, probably in opposition to tyranny. It developed into a criminal organization and in the late 19th century was carried to the US by Italian immigrants

2. any group considered to resemble the Mafia See also Black Hand Camorra Cosa Nostra

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Mafia Cultural  

1. A criminal organization that originated in Sicily and was brought to the United States by Italian immigrants in the late nineteenth century. The Mafia is also called the Syndicate, the Mob, and the Cosa Nostra (Our Thing). The Mafia built its power through extortion (forcing tradesmen and shopkeepers to buy Mafia protection against destruction) and by dominating the bootlegging industry (the illegal production and distribution of liquor) during Prohibition. Members of the Mafia often lead outwardly respectable lives and maintain a variety of legitimate businesses as a front, or cover, for their criminal activities, which include extortion, gambling, and narcotics distribution.

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Etymology

Origin of Mafia

First recorded in 1870–75; from Italian, earlier maffia “arrogance” (in Sicilian: “bravery, excellence”), apparently a back formation from mafiuso mafioso ( def. )

Example Sentences

Now, the New England Mafia, the FBI and the police are out to get him — one FBI subdirector, in particular, “wants Ryan delivered like KFC. In a bag or in a box.”

From Washington Post

Inspired by Southern rappers like Three 6 Mafia, UGK and 8ball & MJG, Jelly Roll started writing rhymes of his own, getting serious about pursuing music after learning that he had a daughter, now age 15.

From New York Times

He said that a typical YouTube episode before the conflict involved his acting as host for party games such as Mafia played with other glamorous influencers.

From New York Times

“Trench Coat Mafia 2.0,” one calls itself on Discord, in reference to a student clique at Columbine, and boasts of being “the biggest Brazilian server about criminal cases, principally involving school shootings and killings.”

From Washington Post

The police initially believed that the slayings were tied to the Mafia.

From New York Times