mogul

1 of 2

noun (1)

mo·​gul ˈmō-(ˌ)gəl 

1

or less commonly moghul

ˈmō-(ˌ)gəl 

or mughal

ˈmü-(ˌ)gəl 

, Mogul : an Indian Muslim of or descended from one of several conquering groups of Mongol, Turkish, and Persian origin

especially : great mogul

2

: a great personage : magnate

Hollywood moguls

industry moguls

mogul adjective

or less commonly moghul or mughal, often Mogul

mogul

2 of 2

noun (2)

mo·​gul ˈmō-gəl 

: a bump in a ski run

Did you know?

Started by Bābur, a descendant of Genghis Khan, the Muslim Mogul dynasty ruled much of India from the early 16th century to the mid-18th century. The Moguls (whose name is also spelled Moghul or Mughal) were known for their talented and powerful rulers, called "Great Moguls"; English speakers borrowed the word for other powerful persons, as in today's familiar references to "media moguls." Skiers might wonder if such power moguls have anything to do with the name they use for a bump in a ski run, but that hilly homonym is of Germanic origin and has nothing to do with Asian Mogul dynasties.

Examples of mogul in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Her carousel was filled with photos of them together from when the SKIMS mogul, 45, was a baby to her teen years. —Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025

Or catch today’s most elite ski athletes speeding down moguls and throwing flips at the Intermountain Health Freestyle International Ski (FIS) World Cup at Deer Valley, January 16-18, 2026. —Outside, 25 Nov. 2025

Indian producer Siddharth Roy Kapur (Dangal, Chennai Express), Nigerian media mogul and EbonyLife CEO Mo Abudu and Crazy Rich Asians film producer John Penotti will discuss how stories, talent, and financing from the Global South are reshaping the global film ecosystem. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2025

Both are owned by longtime Maine media mogul Reade Brower, who talks with Martha Teichner about dishing up sustainable journalism. —David Morgan, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Persian Mughul, from Mongolian mongγol Mongol

Noun (2)

German dialect; akin to German dialect (Viennese) mugl small hill

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1956, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mogul

• bogle
• fogle
• ogle

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Kids Definition

mogul

1 of 2 noun

mo·​gul ˈmō-(ˌ)gəl 

mō-ˈgəl

1

also moghul or mughal capitalized : an Indian Muslim of or descended from a family of Turkish and Mongolian origin that ruled India from the 16th to the 18th century

2

: an important person : magnate

mogul adjective often capitalized

mogul

2 of 2 noun

mo·​gul ˈmō-gəl 

: a bump on a ski slope

Etymology

Noun

Persian Mughul "mogul," from Mongolian mongγol "Mongol"

Noun

from German dialect