tong
/tɔŋ/
noun
- A Chinese secret society or association, often involved in organized crime.
- The police cracked down on the tong's smuggling operations.
- Historians study the role of the tong in early Chinese immigrant communities.
- The tong controlled much of the illegal gambling in the neighborhood.
- A Chinese guild or fraternal organization, originally formed for mutual aid among immigrants.
- The tong held a banquet to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
- Many tongs provided housing and legal assistance to their members.
- My great-grandfather was a member of a tong that helped new arrivals find jobs.