From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishthe Mafiathe MafiaSCCa large organized group of criminals who control many illegal activities, especially in Italy and the US → mafia
Examples from the Corpus
the Mafia• Young people demonstrate in the streets against the Mafia.• He had not been seduced by the Mafia.• No, Uncle, what I heard was that Daddy did favors for the Mafia characters he grew up with.• Before it kills, the Mafia first isolates and denigrates its victims.• You make us sound like the Mafia or something.• Bronson will return to the role of Paul Kersey to take on the Mafia in the latest sequel to the vigilante saga.• If the general public knows anything about the construction industry, it knows that the Mafia have a role to play. 