yakuza

noun

ya·​ku·​za ˈyä-ku̇-ˌzä How to pronounce yakuza (audio)
plural yakuza
1
: a Japanese gangster
2
: an organized crime syndicate in Japan

Examples of yakuza in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Subprime Directives Whatever hold the yakuza has on Mixxy has clearly been withheld to allow Apple TV+ to wring another season out of Sunny. Chris Klimek, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2024 Membership to yakuza groups across Japan has been in decline over recent decades. Junko Ogura, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2025 Love Hotel chronicles the encounter of a call girl and a married man with a debt to the yakuza who have a violent rendezvous in a cheap love hotel. Zac Ntim, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025 The first half delivers a gritty crime thriller following a hitman caught between law enforcement and yakuza forces, while the second portion reimagines the same narrative through a comedic lens using self-parody techniques. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for yakuza

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, ruffian, gangster

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of yakuza was in 1964

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Cite this Entry

“Yakuza.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yakuza. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

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