as in Mafia
a group involved in secret or criminal activities
a conspiracy theory about the existence of an international cabal devoted to world domination
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as in to club
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Recent Examples of cabal
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
Camus’s conspiracy that a cabal of powerful elites is plotting a great replacement to ensure the exploitation and domination of low- and middle-income White people is nothing short of a grand distraction.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Martin Finucane, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2019
Powell is drawing encouragement from the significant losses of candidates who, like Burton, are backed by the Empower Texans cabal attempting to take control of the Texas Legislature.
—Richard Greene, star-telegram, 24 May 2018
See All Example Sentences for cabal
Noun
Giant subterranean sandworms measuring 1,500 feet long; a narcotic that fuels interstellar travel and bends a user’s perception of space-time; a mystical cabal of eugenicist witches—the list goes on.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
Camus’s conspiracy that a cabal of powerful elites is plotting a great replacement to ensure the exploitation and domination of low- and middle-income White people is nothing short of a grand distraction.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
Nothing was more to be desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue, and corruption.
—Martin Finucane, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2019
Powell is drawing encouragement from the significant losses of candidates who, like Burton, are backed by the Empower Texans cabal attempting to take control of the Texas Legislature.
—Richard Greene, star-telegram, 24 May 2018
See All Example Sentences for cabal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cabal
Noun
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The series follows the Black Mafia Family in Detroit and is based on a true story.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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On the surface, the crime drama follows the rise and fall of the Black Mafia Family — one of the most influential crime families in the country.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The White Sox clubbed five home runs off Taillon — the most in the 10th-year veteran’s career — in an 8-3 win against the Cubs in the City Series at Rate Field.—
Andy Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
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Byron Buxton stole home and Ryan Jeffers clubbed a two-run home run to lead Minnesota at the plate.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Hospitals that haven’t been looted, burned or shuttered are dealing with limited budgets and the tightening grip of armed gangs.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2026
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But according to federal officials, the Punjabi Devils were an outlaw gang with ties to the Hells Angels, whose members often wore patches with an outline of Punjab, a region that includes northern India and central eastern Pakistan, and a turbaned skull.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
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With veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins on the roster, the franchise could choose, at least initially, to let the Miami native watch and get acclimated to league.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
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Maybe worse, Dustin Wolf went from looking like a future Vezina lock to barely league-average.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Now, he's pardoned all of these people, despite the fact that they were convicted of violently assaulting police officers, conspiring to overthrow the government of the United States in seditious conspiracy, and so on.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 May 2026
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Shannon Kurrie, 61, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud in the scheme earlier this month, according to the federal agency.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
Verb
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The partnership includes collaborating on ways to pack and load orders using aerodynamic designs for future pizza deliveries.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
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The store concept was designed by Parisian architect Francois-Joseph Graf, who collaborated with Lippes.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The new report describes a sprawling transnational criminal system in which Brazilian syndicates, Colombian guerrilla dissidents, Ecuadorian gangs and local crime families collaborate and compete simultaneously while moving drugs, gold, weapons and money across porous borders.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
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The syndicate desks engineered the pop by only offering a sliver of stock.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
3 May 2026
Verb
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In addition, Skyborne will provide operator and maintainer training so that US and allied personnel can safely use, support, and evaluate the systems in the field.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
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Since 2024, Microsoft has openly acknowledged that OpenAI is a competitor, and has been allying itself with other companies building AI models, including Musk's xAI, releasing those tools to developers through Azure.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cabal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cabal. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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