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Dictionary Language resources

Mafia

Syllabification: (Ma·fi·a)

Pronunciation: /ˈmäfēə/

Translate Mafia | into French | into Spanish

Definition of Mafia

noun

(the Mafia) [treated as singular or plural]

an organized international body of criminals, operating originally in Sicily and now especially in Italy and the US and having a complex and ruthless behavioral code.
(usually mafia) any organized group using extortion and other criminal methods.
(usually mafia) a closed group of people in a particular field, having a controlling influence:the conservative top tennis mafia