Yakuza

//ˈjækuːzə// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A Japanese organized crime gang.

    "Japan’s largest yakuza crime syndicate has pledged to end its longstanding war with a rival faction and refrain from causing “trouble,” authorities said, as the mafia-like groups contend with falling membership and increased police crackdowns."

  2. 2
    organized crime in Japan; an alliance of criminal organizations and illegal enterprises wordnet
  3. 3
    A member of that Japanese organized crime gang.
  4. 4
    a Japanese gangster wordnet

Example

More examples

""Gang Wives" is a Yakuza movie released in 1986 by Toei Distribution Network."

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese やくざ (yakuza). See there for more details.

Related phrases

organized crime

More for "yakuza"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.