yakuza

/jəˈkuzə/
noun
  1. A member of a Japanese organized crime syndicate.
    • The movie tells the story of a yakuza who tries to leave the criminal underworld.
    • The police arrested several yakuza members during the raid.
    • My grandfather once told me that the yakuza were known for their strict codes of honor.
  2. Japanese organized crime groups as a whole, or the criminal underworld in Japan.
    • The government has passed new laws to weaken the influence of the yakuza.
    • The yakuza have been involved in various illegal activities for centuries.
    • Many novels and films romanticize the yakuza as modern-day samurai.
What does "yakuza" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean