magnate

noun

mag·​nate ˈmag-ˌnāt 

-nət

: a person of rank, power, influence, or distinction often in a specified area

a railroad magnate

Synonyms of magnate

• tycoon
• baron
• king

Examples of magnate in a Sentence

a studio magnate who had the biggest stars in Hollywood at his beck and call

Recent Examples on the Web

The President, who likes his steak well done and slathered in ketchup, met with a Brazilian beef magnate named Joesley Batista, who in the past had admitted to making large payments to public officials and was briefly jailed. — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2026

Opening statements are expected to begin Tuesday in a $30 million wrongful death lawsuit against real estate magnate and Sacramento Kings minority owner Phil Oates, who was involved in a traffic collision that killed a motorcyclist in 2024. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Edu’s position at Forest had also encompassed the other clubs across the football empire of owner and Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis, namely Greek side Olympiacos and Portuguese outfit Rio Ave. — Colin Millar, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Isabelle Fuhrman plays a visionary computer scientist who gets tapped by a tech magnate (Dennis Quaid) to work on a device developed to communicate with aliens. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English magnates, plural, from Late Latin, from Latin magnus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for magnate

• magnet
• electromagnet
• ferromagnet

Kids Definition

magnate

noun

mag·​nate ˈmag-ˌnāt 

-nət

: a person of rank, power, or influence (as in an industry)