cartel

noun

kär-ˈtel How to pronounce cartel (audio)
Definition of cartelnext
as in syndicate
a number of businesses or enterprises united for commercial advantage a cartel of oil-producing nations that controls production and influences prices

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cartel Directly across the water is Miguel Alemán, a town in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas that’s been plagued by decades of cartel violence. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 The January indictment charged Maduro and several associates with participating in a narcoterrorism conspiracy involving Colombian guerrilla organizations, Mexican drug cartels and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua criminal organization. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 Trump’s draconian immigration measures have made recent deportees and asylum seekers alike easy targets for extortion, kidnapping, and occasionally recruitment by certain cartels along the US-Mexico border. — Daniel Peña, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026 The best bill would include strong legal guardrails to prevent an organization from becoming anticompetitive or a shield for cartels. — William R. Gruver, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cartel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cartel
  1. syndicate
  2. conglomerate
Noun
  • Despite the reactionary politics of the yakuza films, not to mention of the syndicates themselves, Ken-san was very popular among left-wing student protesters in the late nineteen-sixties.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Musk’s name is one of a number of wealthy individuals that Paramount CEO David Ellison has considered tapping for the syndicate, the people said.
    — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of syndicate
Noun
  • India will be the world's third-largest retail market by 2030, according to Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries.
    — Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • At age 90, collector François Pinault, founder of the Kering luxury conglomerate and the investment holding company Artémis, isn’t getting any younger.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of conglomerate

Browse Nearby Words

carted
cartel
cartels
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Cite this Entry

“Cartel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cartel. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cartel

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