1
as in heavyweight
one of high position or importance within a group
a police sting that nabbed several kingpins of the city's drug trade
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in leader
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do
finally nailed the mob kingpin who had been controlling all the gambling rackets in the city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 kingpin
In the novel, Maciel, who started his career in Nicaro, Cuba, the island nation’s most significant nickel-mining town, is the lead witness against a cartel kingpin.
—
Helen Acevedo,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2026
The life-and-death stakes were raised when the former high school series jumped five years to show a now-young adult Rue becoming a drug mule and working for rival kingpins (Martha Kelly’s Laurie also took her own life in the finale).
—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
From working as a drug mule to pay off her debts to dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly) to now working for crime kingpin/strip club owner Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Rue has been living on the edge.
—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
24 May 2026
Now, nearly a decade later, Hamza is in the inner circle as the kingpin of the Baloch gang that rules the city of Karachi.
—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for kingpin
Helen Acevedo,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2026
The life-and-death stakes were raised when the former high school series jumped five years to show a now-young adult Rue becoming a drug mule and working for rival kingpins (Martha Kelly’s Laurie also took her own life in the finale).
—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
From working as a drug mule to pay off her debts to dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly) to now working for crime kingpin/strip club owner Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Rue has been living on the edge.
—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
24 May 2026
Now, nearly a decade later, Hamza is in the inner circle as the kingpin of the Baloch gang that rules the city of Karachi.
—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for kingpin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kingpin
Noun
-
The result dashed hopes of a team touted as dark horses who could make a long run in the tournament by beating traditional soccer heavyweights such as Brazil.
-
Cape Verde earned a shocking draw with heavyweight Spain at Atlanta Stadium.
Noun
-
In the weeks since Fable 5 and Mythos 5 were forced out of commission, industry leaders and experts became increasingly worried that the ad-hoc ban would threaten America’s AI lead against China.
-
According to Smith, citizens of East Florida even burned the leaders behind the Declaration of Independence in effigy.
Noun
-
Geoffrey Lechantoux is responsible for the French-seafood-heavy menu.
-
Most standard blends are nitrogen-heavy, which encourages leaf growth instead of fruit.
Noun
-
Countless Argentina bosses tried and failed.
-
On Thursday, the Interior Department was claiming to have beat back the toxic blooms — while doing a drive-by trashing of Barack Obama to please the boss.
Noun
-
Like Stewart, Ejiofor has the kind of strength to deal with being an undersized big.
-
So Bauer heads back to Mexico City, continuing a journey that has taken him everywhere except the bigs.
Noun
-
Until then, viewers can enjoy the boiling, sometimes exploding, tension between Rob-Will and Rip, the new Jackson-family ranch foreman.
-
Joaquin tries to explain what happened with Chet, but Rip doesn’t want to talk about the ranch’s dead ex-foreman.
Noun
-
French and Ukrainian media reported that a Ukrainian magnate and his family were those injured.
-
Jolie balked at the term and struck a $64 million deal with the billionaire alcohol magnate, Yuri Shefler.
Noun
-
While theology and ministry studies were designated as nonprofessional, the master of divinity degree often pursued by eventual pastors or ministers does retain professional status.
-
In one mega master in San Antonio, Texas, out of the 175 cases ordered to appear before a judge one morning, about 40 people didn’t show up, said attorney Jessica Smith Bobadilla.
Cite this Entry
“Kingpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpin. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
