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omertà

American  
[aw-mer-tah, oh-mer-tuh] / ˌɔ mɛrˈtɑ, oʊˈmɛr tə /

noun

Italian.
  1. secrecy sworn to by oath; code of silence.


omertà British  
/ omerˈta /

noun

  1. a conspiracy of silence

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Guardian's media editor Jim Waterson wrote that his decision to speak out "has broken the omertà around the secret agreements between British television and the royal family over coverage of formal events".

From BBC • Sep. 15, 2023

Moeakiola also visited an acting class that Pastore teaches, but had to maintain strict omertà about his involvement in the film.

From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2021

And he once again went on and on about how he believes in omertà or, as he calls it, "loyalty."

From Salon • Aug. 24, 2018

“A much more proactive stance. Of the sort like sending your top prosecutor to investigate Chile. A stance where the pope, when he sees or suspects an institutional omertà, he reacts.”

From Washington Post • Jul. 28, 2018

Without omertà the mafia would hardly flourish, and the mafia is not so easy to understand. 

From Castellinaria and Other Sicilian Diversions by Jones, Henry Festing

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