Synonyms of kingpin

kingpin

noun

ˈkiŋ-ˌpin 

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

• heavyweight
• heavy
• big
• magnate
• tycoon
• king
• lion
• bigwig
• queen
• honcho
• wheel
• nabob
• baron
• prince
• major leaguer
• big boy
• big wheel
• nawab
• biggie
• big gun
• big leaguer
• kingfish
• heavy hitter
• kahuna
• czar
• nob
• mogul
• bigfoot
• big cheese
• fat cat
• nibs
• pooh-bah
• princess
• muckety-muck
• big-timer
• big shot
• high-muck-a-muck
• VIP

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• nobody
• nothing
• lightweight
• zero
• nonentity
• subordinate
• whippersnapper
• twerp
• underling
• zilch
• obscurity
• mediocrity
• inferior

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

• leader
• boss
• foreman
• master
• chief
• captain
• manager
• commander
• director
• lord
• head
• honcho
• overseer
• administrator
• headman
• superintendent
• jefe
• supervisor
• helmsman
• taskmaster
• boss man
• executive
• president
• governor
• king
• overlord
• principal
• ruler
• mistress
• magnate
• general
• mogul
• steward
• czar
• baron
• skipper
• prince
• leadman
• dominator
• potentate
• superior
• figurehead
• standard-bearer
• employer
• sovereign
• straw boss
• directress
• higher-up
• bigwig
• big gun
• top dog
• hierarch
• ganger
• coleader
• top gun
• gaffer
• big cheese
• cohead
• micromanager
• subchief
• subdirector

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• secondary
• dependent
• subject
• junior
• subordinate
• underling
• inferior

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of kingpin

Their videos work as a modern take on the narcocorridos – ballads about the trafficking underworld that drug kingpins used to praise themselves and communicate with each other, said security expert Alexei Chévez. — Rey Rodríguez, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026

Court documents citing the 2021 communications between Bock and congressional staffers in Omar’s office were entered as government exhibits in the fraud kingpin’s federal trial. — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 24 July 2026

For 20 years, Rozay has refined a larger-than-life kingpin character, one that directs drug traffic and greenlights hits while anchored in Biscayne Bay, an iced champagne bucket always within reach. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026

Heat president/kingpin Pat Riley, after introducing new superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, said the franchise is still pursuing James, who won two titles in four years in Miami. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 17 July 2026