cabal.

A small group that combines secretly to promote its interests or scheme against others.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a political cabal
• a cabal of courtiers

On the page

A cabal of courtiers controlled which petitions reached the ruler.

The inquiry found a cabal where the public had imagined a single mastermind.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Singular cabal; plural cabals. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: cabals.