WordWeb Online

1. Any tightly knit group of trusted associates
   - mafia

1. A secret terrorist group in Sicily; originally opposed tyranny but evolved into a criminal organization in the middle of the 19th century
   - Mafia, Sicilian Mafia
    
2. A crime syndicate in the United States; organized in families; believed to have important relations to the Sicilian Mafia
   - Mafia, Cosa Nostra

Derived forms: Maffias, maffias

Type of: camp, clique, coterie, crime syndicate, family, gangdom, gangland, ingroup, inner circle, mob, organised crime [Brit], organized crime, pack, syndicate

Encyclopedia: Maffia