cabal

noun ca·bal \ kə-ˈbäl , -ˈbal \

Updated on: 30 Nov 2017

Definition of cabal

1 : the contrived schemes of a group of persons secretly united in a plot (as to overturn a government); also : a group engaged in such schemes

2 : club, group

a cabal of artists

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Examples of cabal in a Sentence

a cabal plotting to overthrow the government
a conspiracy theory about the existence of an international cabal devoted to world domination

Recent Examples of cabal from the Web

Brosnan deploys his suaveness, talking out of both sides of his mouth to British politicians and his cabal of former (or are they?) IRA militants.

— katie walsh, kansascity, "Review: Jackie Chan is still a kick, but Foreigner is not | The Kansas City Star," 12 Oct. 2017
My guess is that both sides are being funded by the deep state cabal that owns the traffic cone concession.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: The world is a befuddling orb," 20 Sep. 2017
While this cabal cheers its victory over Monsanto, European farmers fear for their livelihood.

— julie kelly, National Review, "Glyphosate Ban: Not about Green. About Greed.," 27 Oct. 2017
On September 9, a cabal of friends and collaborators will lovingly razz the veteran actor at his comedic alma mater, Second City.

— steve heisler, Chicago Reader, "Jeers for Norm from Cheers," 8 Sep. 2017
In a dystopian part of Texas controlled by a cannibal cabal, a young woman gets help from a blade-wielding battler.

— chris foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New on DVD: 'Wonder Woman,' 'The Big Sick,' 'The Hero' and more," 19 Sep. 2017
The idea that a secret cabal of central bankers have conspired to work together was dismissed recently by ECB executive board member Peter Praet.

— richard barley, WSJ, "How to Prepare When Central Banks All Row in the Same Direction," 14 July 2017
With her brash online persona, Fairbanks epitomizes this burgeoning, distinctly Trumpian cabal, which, just like Trump, eschews political correctness and aims to blow up politics as usual.

— rebecca nelson, Cosmopolitan, "Cassandra Fairbanks Loved Bernie Sanders. Now She's a Donald Trump Superfan.," 18 May 2017
Quentin Tarantino indulges his wildest genre-mash-up revenge-cinema fantasies with this two-part saga about a woman known as The Bride (Uma Thurman) who battles a cabal of assassins on her way to confronting the man who ordered her dead.

— nick schager, Esquire, "Here Are the Must-Stream Movies of July 2016," 30 June 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cabal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

In A Child's History of England, Charles Dickens associates the word cabal with a group of five ministers in the government of England's King Charles II. The initial letters of the names or titles of those men (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale) spell cabal, and Dickens dubbed them the "Cabal Ministry." These five men were widely regarded as invidious, secretive plotters and their activities may have encouraged English speakers to associate cabal with high-level government intrigue. But their names are not the source of the word cabal, which was in use decades before Charles II ascended the throne. The term can be traced back through French to cabbala, the Medieval Latin name for the Kabbalah, a traditional system of esoteric Jewish mysticism.

Origin and Etymology of cabal

French cabale cabala, intrigue, cabal, from Medieval Latin cabbala cabala, from Late Hebrew qabbālāh, literally, received (lore)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1614

See Words from the same year

cabal Synonyms

Synonyms

¹ring, conspiracy, crew, gang, Mafia, mob, syndicate

Related Words

bunch, circle, clan, clique, coterie, coven, crowd, galère, lot, network, pack, set; junta, oligarchy

Synonym Discussion of cabal

plot, intrigue, machination, conspiracy, cabal mean a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end. plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme.