variants
or fuehrer
as in dictator
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
a nation that has suffered under the yoke of one führer after another, never knowing the freedoms of a democracy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 führer
Daalder was alluding to Britain’s early World War II prime minister who was widely criticized for appeasing Hitler as the German fuhrer marched across Europe.
—
Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Overseas, Adolf Hitler was the fuhrer of Germany, and his persecution of Jews became even more apparent after Kristallnacht, in November 1938, when the Nazi regime went on an antisemitic rampage.
—Robert Gudmestad, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024
Hermann Goering, Hitler’s air force chief and deputy fuhrer, was, says the judge, highly intelligent.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Oct. 2021
Yorki is Jojo's best friend and, outside the imaginary fuhrer, his closest confidant.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2019
In 1933, deputy fuhrer Rudolf Hess ordered Heinz Spanknobel, a German immigrant, to form Friends of New Germany, a group based in NYC, with the goal of spreading National Socialism throughout the United States.
—Matt Giles, Longreads, 13 Aug. 2017
Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Overseas, Adolf Hitler was the fuhrer of Germany, and his persecution of Jews became even more apparent after Kristallnacht, in November 1938, when the Nazi regime went on an antisemitic rampage.
—Robert Gudmestad, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024
Hermann Goering, Hitler’s air force chief and deputy fuhrer, was, says the judge, highly intelligent.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Oct. 2021
Yorki is Jojo's best friend and, outside the imaginary fuhrer, his closest confidant.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2019
In 1933, deputy fuhrer Rudolf Hess ordered Heinz Spanknobel, a German immigrant, to form Friends of New Germany, a group based in NYC, with the goal of spreading National Socialism throughout the United States.
—Matt Giles, Longreads, 13 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for führer
Noun
-
Her party, the Brothers of Italy, was founded by followers of former dictator Benito Mussolini as a post-fascist movement following WWII.—
Dan Gooding
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
For Machado and the Venezuelan opposition, embracing a narrative in which Maduro is a drug lord, not just a dictator, is a bit of a gamble.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
So, the politicians must do more than push back against the White House tyrant.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
-
And while the band's frontman Freddie Mercury only made it into his 40s, the song's question continues to haunt people—especially aging tyrants who fear that the icy hand of death is upon their shoulder and want far more time to ensure both national and personal glory.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Führer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/f%C3%BChrer. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share