CABAL (caballed, caballing)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: caballed    , caballing   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cabal mean? 

• CABAL (noun)
  The noun CABAL has 2 senses:

1. a clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue

2. a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act (especially a political plot)

  Familiarity information: CABAL used as a noun is rare.

• CABAL (verb)
  The verb CABAL has 1 sense:

1. engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together

  Familiarity information: CABAL used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CABAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

cabal; camarilla; faction; junto

Hypernyms ("cabal" is a kind of...):

camp; clique; coterie; ingroup; inner circle; pack (an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose)

Meronyms (members of "cabal"):

cabalist (a member of a cabal)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act (especially a political plot)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

cabal; conspiracy

Hypernyms ("cabal" is a kind of...):

game; plot; secret plan (a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal))

Domain category:

government; political science; politics (the study of government of states and other political units)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cabal"):

Gunpowder Plot (a conspiracy in 1605 in England to blow up James I and the Houses of Parliament to avenge the persecution of Catholics in England; led by Guy Fawkes)

Derivation:

cabal (engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together)

• CABAL (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

cabal; complot; conjure; conspire; machinate

Context example:

They conspired to overthrow the government

Hypernyms (to "cabal" is one way to...):

plot (plan secretly, usually something illegal)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cabal"):

coconspire (conspire together)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

cabal (a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act (especially a political plot))

 Context examples 

This lord Munodi was a person of the first rank, and had been some years governor of Lagado; but, by a cabal of ministers, was discharged for insufficiency.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

But he was at last in pain at my long absence; and after consulting with the treasurer and the rest of that cabal, a person of quality was dispatched with the copy of the articles against me.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)