tycoon

noun

ty·​coon tī-ˈkün 

1

a

: a businessperson of exceptional wealth, power, and influence : magnate

b

: a top leader (as in politics)

2

: shogun

Synonyms of tycoon

• magnate

Examples of tycoon in a Sentence

an oil tycoon who's widely considered the most powerful man in the county

Recent Examples on the Web

Among the most notable examples is Andrew Mellon, the aluminum, oil and banking tycoon who was among the handful of the nation’s wealthiest people in the 1920s and served as treasury secretary for three presidents. — ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

By the end of the 2000s, those rates had crashed even further, allowing the wealthiest families to keep nearly two-thirds of an estate after a tycoon’s passing. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026

The entrepreneur’s efforts secured him a place on the list of the Philippines’ 50 richest in a challenging year when a weaker peso took a toll on the total wealth of the country’s tycoons, which shrank 8% to $79 billion. — Naazneen Karmali, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Industrial tycoon Daniel Kretinsky, for example, has turned into one of the most prominent dealmakers in Europe. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Japanese taikun

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for tycoon

• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• buffoon
• cartoon
• cocoon
• festoon
• gaboon
• harpoon
• immune
• impugn

Kids Definition

tycoon

noun

ty·​coon tī-ˈkün 

: a very wealthy and powerful business person

Etymology

Japanese taikun "shogun"