mafia

Noun
  1. A crime syndicate in the United States;
    Organized in families;
    Believed to have important relations to the Sicilian Mafia (synset 108262723)
    associated with: omerta - a code of silence practiced by the Mafia; a refusal to give evidence to the police about criminal activities
    is a type of: crime syndicate, family, mob, syndicate - a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities
    member holonym: mafioso - a member of the Mafia crime syndicate in the United States
    same as: cosa nostra, maffia
  2. A secret terrorist group in Sicily;
    Originally opposed tyranny but evolved into a criminal organization in the middle of the 19th century (synset 108262470)
    referred to in: act of terrorism, terrorism, terrorist act - the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear
    is a type of: gangdom, gangland, organized crime - underworld organizations
    member holonym: mafioso - a member of the Sicilian Mafia
    same as: maffia, sicilian mafia
  3. Any tightly knit group of trusted associates (synset 108262346)
    domain usage: colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
    is a type of: camp, clique, coterie, ingroup, inner circle, pack - an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
    same as: maffia

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