- the Mafia[singular + singular or plural verb]
a secret organization of criminals, that is active especially in Sicily, Italy and the US 黑手党（尤活跃于意大利西西里和美国） a Mafia boss 黑手党老大 Large areas of the city were controlled by the Mafia. 这座城市的大部分地区被黑手党控制了。
CultureThe Mafia in the US is also sometimes called the Mob, the Syndicate or Cosa Nostra (Italian for 'our thing'). The Italian-American Mafia began in the US in the late 19th century and became organized into powerful 'families'. They controlled the production of illegal alcohol during prohibition and only became weaker in the 1980s when several leaders, called ' Godfathers', were sent to prison. Well-known members of the Mafia in the US have included Al Capone and 'Lucky' Luciano. There have been many books and films about the Mafia, including The Godfather. - mafia[countable + singular or plural verb]
an organized group of criminals similar to the Mafia in the way it operates 黑手党（尤活跃于意大利西西里和美国） the rise of criminal mafias in various parts of Europe 犯罪黑手党在欧洲各地的兴起
- mafia[countable + singular or plural verb]
a group of people within an organization or a community who use their power to get advantages for themselves 小集团；小帮派；团伙；社会黑帮
Word OriginItalian (Sicilian dialect), originally in the sense ‘bragging’.