1
a
: a secret criminal society of Sicily or Italy
b
: a similarly conceived criminal organization in the U.S.
also
: a similar organization elsewhere
the Japanese Mafia
c
: a criminal organization associated with a particular traffic
the cocaine Mafia
2
often not capitalized
: a group of people likened to the Mafia
especially
: a group of people of similar interests or backgrounds prominent in a particular field or enterprise : clique
Examples of Mafia in a Sentence
a member of the Mafia
He's an important figure in the television mafia.
Recent Examples on the Web
The racing team is building its brand portfolio by also teaming with Built for Athletes, Pedal Mafia, Abercrombie & Fitch, SunGod, Coachbuilt Whisky, HalfScale Cars and Lego.
—
Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 7 Feb. 2025
The last 12 months have been full of firsts for the De la Rosa brothers, better known as the musical trio Latin Mafia.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2025
More recently, Welling appeared in three episodes of the Supernatural spinoff series The Winchesters and acted in the film Mafia Wars.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 29 Jan. 2025
Brittany Mahomes is calling out the haters — and praying for Bills Mafia members to make better choices.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for Mafia 
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Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 7 Feb. 2025
The last 12 months have been full of firsts for the De la Rosa brothers, better known as the musical trio Latin Mafia.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2025
More recently, Welling appeared in three episodes of the Supernatural spinoff series The Winchesters and acted in the film Mafia Wars.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 29 Jan. 2025
Brittany Mahomes is calling out the haters — and praying for Bills Mafia members to make better choices.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for Mafia
Dictionary Entries Near Mafia
Cite this Entry
“Mafia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mafia. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Mafia
noun
Ma·fia
ˈmäf-ē-ə 
ˈmaf-
1
: a secret criminal society of Sicily or Italy
2
: a similar criminal organization in the U.S. or elsewhere
Geographical Definition
Mafia
geographical name
Ma·fia
ˈmä-fē-ə
ˈma-
island of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean south of Zanzibar area 170 square miles (442 square kilometers), population 16,748
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