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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kingpin
Reeling from his mother’s newly persistent vegetative state and how Sofia exposed his Achilles’ heel through her, Oz decides that family of any kind is only going to hold him back from achieving true kingpin status.
—
Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025
Silas Merritt Robertson, brother of O.G. Duck Dynasty kingpin Phil Robertson, who died on May 25 at 79, and Phil's son Willie Robertson, who's been CEO of the Duck Commander company behind the reality empire since 2002.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 2 June 2025
Leading business figures also regularly attend, including the likes of John Browne, the former chief executive of BP; Martin Sorrell, the advertising kingpin and Nigel Wilson, the former chief executive of Legal & General.
—Ian King, CNBC, 22 May 2025
The 38-page presentation contained photos of at-large Tren de Aragua kingpins and some of the clock, train and star tattoos authorities believed reveal TdA allegiance.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for kingpin
Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025
Silas Merritt Robertson, brother of O.G. Duck Dynasty kingpin Phil Robertson, who died on May 25 at 79, and Phil's son Willie Robertson, who's been CEO of the Duck Commander company behind the reality empire since 2002.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 2 June 2025
Leading business figures also regularly attend, including the likes of John Browne, the former chief executive of BP; Martin Sorrell, the advertising kingpin and Nigel Wilson, the former chief executive of Legal & General.
—Ian King, CNBC, 22 May 2025
The 38-page presentation contained photos of at-large Tren de Aragua kingpins and some of the clock, train and star tattoos authorities believed reveal TdA allegiance.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for kingpin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kingpin
Noun
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Finally, leading up, your leaders need to start with the understanding that the ego has to stay outside the door.—
Barbara Puszkiewicz-Cimino,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
-
Republican leaders in the state legislature did not go along with the original DeSantis plan to have Florida fund the flights filled with federal immigration detainees.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Class struggle is reflected in the way that the back-alley heavy, Atticus Hawk, dismisses the ivory-tower eccentricity of the occult specialist Scholar Vitali.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Gabriel Byrne’s new heavy, the Chancellor, hisses to Castañeda’s doomed daddy as Eve watches in horror.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
After they were discovered by her boss, she was also forced to kill her superior and burned all the participant files.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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His father, Curtis, took the day off work from a General Electric small appliances plant in Allentown to watch his son in person, fortuitously getting permission from his boss — who was himself the father of a major league pitcher, Curt Simmons.—
Jon Paul Hoornstra,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
Noun
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And in Miami, Bam Adebayo continues to thrive as a hybrid big who can score, pass, and switch.—
Sindiswa Mabunda,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
-
While there’s a deep well of high-end guard prospects, the bigs have a smaller list and could produce Maluach and Queen as the lone lottery picks.—
Aaron Beard,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
But the foreman, who asked that his name be withheld, said that’s not good enough.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
25 June 2025
-
The retrial of Harvey Weinstein ended abruptly Thursday when the jury foreman refused to join the deliberations on the remaining rape charge against the disgraced movie mogul.—
Emily Berk,
NBC news,
12 June 2025
Noun
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Shuna later passed through the hands of film and shipping magnates before becoming the romantic escape of the Viscountess Selby and WWII Pathfinder Donald Wells.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
20 June 2025
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The other involves keeping a magnate’s daughter from being kidnapped.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Twelve percent have master’s degrees or higher, compared with 14% nationally.—
Jeff A. Chamer,
Charlotte Observer,
24 June 2025
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The Skokie native works at Google and recently graduated from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management with a master’s degree in business administration, according to her campaign.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
24 June 2025
Noun
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Plenty of world leaders, business tycoons, and tech titans share their top reads every year.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
25 June 2025
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Reuters — Vietnam will remove the death penalty for eight offenses from next month, including embezzlement and activities aimed at overthrowing the government, parliament said on Wednesday, sparing the life of a tycoon in a $12 billion fraud case.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kingpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpin. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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