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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kingpin
Here's everything to know about the former cartel kingpin's life 10 years after the FBI took down his global drug empire.
—
Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
College football quarterback to drug kingpin isn’t exactly a typical career path, but that’s exactly what Owen Hanson did.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
The son of a former Colombian paramilitary drug-cartel kingpin was sentenced Friday in San Diego federal court to four years and three months in prison for an international cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
Leo plays a hot-shot CIA operative trying to track a shadowy terrorist kingpin through Iraq and Jordan.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kingpin
Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
College football quarterback to drug kingpin isn’t exactly a typical career path, but that’s exactly what Owen Hanson did.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
The son of a former Colombian paramilitary drug-cartel kingpin was sentenced Friday in San Diego federal court to four years and three months in prison for an international cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
Leo plays a hot-shot CIA operative trying to track a shadowy terrorist kingpin through Iraq and Jordan.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kingpin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kingpin
Noun
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Poltergeist pairs two Hollywood heavyweights, with Steven Spielberg behind the story and Tobe Hooper in the director's chair — and the result is pure movie magic.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
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For now, economic heavyweights California and New York are treading water but could easily tip the scales.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Decisions made in Gyeongju are non-binding — and leaders have faced difficulty reaching consensus in the past including on thorny issues like Russia’s war in Ukraine.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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In Axios, Alexander Solender and Marc Caputo report on the half-dozen labor leaders who have urged Democrats to vote for government funding and end the shutdown without conditions.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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If the Rockets go big-heavy often, Reed Sheppard loses some shine.—
Stan Son,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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The shift to bonds may indicate investors are rebalancing to keep their asset allocations from getting too stock-heavy, Austin said.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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One man is taking a stand against his boss, who doesn't respect his boundaries outside of work hours.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
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Former Middlesbrough boss Carrick is highly regarded too, and — like O’Neil — is out of work at present.—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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New York's farm system is as good as any, and features several players nearing the bigs.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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According to Cleaning the Glass, just 26% of Adebayo’s shot attempts this season have come at the rim (26th percentile among NBA bigs) while 36% of his shots this season have come from three-point range (78th percentile among NBA bigs).—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Umanzor Molina, 39, a construction foreman who worked on projects at Miami International Airport, was detained in a day care parking lot in Aventura, Florida.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
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First responders were summoned to the scene, as Brockman’s foreman put on climbing gear, ascended the tree and assisted in lowering him to the ground.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But my collection intentionally ignored the fraudulent exploits of billionaire heirs, tax dodgers and corporate magnates — defense contracts, government lobbying, bank accounts in Switzerland, shell companies in Panama, citizenship of Antigua and political asylum in London.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
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The eight-bedroom residence is being offered by Duty Free Americas magnate Simon Falic and his wife, Jana Falic, who bought the property on a whim in 2015 after falling in love with the island on their second visit.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Cowley graduated in 1920, and for a year and a half lived an adventurous, impecunious Grub Street life in New York, before a fellowship took him, now married, back to France for a master’s in French.—
Michael Gorra,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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Rosewood Amsterdam, for example, is an art gallery in its own right, with an expansive collection of more than 1,000 artworks that spotlight both new-generation talent and Dutch masters.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kingpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpin. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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