kingpin

noun

ˈkiŋ-ˌpin How to pronounce kingpin (audio)
Definition of kingpinnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 kingpin His mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), is a drug addict and Little falls under the tutelage of a drug kingpin named Juan (Mahershala Ali) and his girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monáe). — David Faris, TheWeek, 17 July 2026 Heat president/kingpin Pat Riley, after introducing new superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, said the franchise is still pursuing James, who won two titles in four years in Miami. — Chris Branch, New York Times, 17 July 2026 The twist is that she’s already attached to Reynolds (Ben Foster), who looks like a dweeb — but is, in fact, an extremely wealthy and powerful drug kingpin. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 July 2026 Christopher Walken stars as Frank White, a drug kingpin recently released from prison who looks to monopolize power by targeting his enemies. — Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for kingpin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kingpin
  1. heavyweight
  2. leader
  3. heavy
  4. boss
  5. big
  6. foreman
  7. magnate
  8. master
Noun
  • Few Brazilian political heavyweights were in attendance, in another sign of his troubles forming an alliance against Lula ahead of the October election.
    — Mauricio Savarese, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2026
  • Few Brazilian political heavyweights were in attendance, in another sign of his troubles forming an alliance against Lula ahead of the October election .
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
Definition of heavyweight
Noun
  • About 150 protesters were taken to hospital with injuries following Monday’s violence, according to leaders of the party behind the protests.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • While Wyscout is the industry leader for video scouting tools in football, Eyeball has, since forming in 2020, established itself as the youth football equivalent across the globe.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of leader
Noun
  • Soon after Rhaenyra executes Otto Hightower, who was once mastermind of that family’s schemes, Ormund steps up to be the faction’s new heavy.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026
  • Shares of Meta are flat on the year, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 is up 18%.
    — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 10 July 2026
Definition of heavy
Noun
  • Although German sportswear brand Puma reported a slip in sales in the second quarter, the company’s bosses remain optimistic that their plan to bring the brand back to growth by 2027 is on the right track.
    — Cathrin Schaer, Footwear News, 31 July 2026
  • For example, public acknowledgement via a shoutout, private recognition from a boss, or receiving a high level of achievement through a review can be memorable forms of recognition to employees.
    — Rick Elliott, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of boss
Noun
  • Plus, if Seattle wants to move Magbegor to create space for the young bigs, then other teams will know the Storm are doing so from a position of weakness.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Data show those players have about an 11% chance to reach the bigs (compared to about 81% for those picked in the first round).
    — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of big
Noun
  • What money cannot copy is a workplace where people feel respected, where a foreman takes time to teach instead of just bark orders and where someone's growth is treated as the company's responsibility.
    — Brad Strawbridge, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Charles might be forced to take that foreman job, forced to be away from his family for two years.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026
Definition of foreman
Noun
  • But the great-grandson became wealthy in his own right as a magnate and pioneer in the New York hotel industry.
    — Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
  • Miriam Adelson, the widow of the Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, and Diane Hendricks, a major conservative donor in Wisconsin, each gave $25 million.
    — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Definition of magnate
Noun
  • The competition series featured masters of shamanism, tarot, face and foot reading, saju and other divination disciplines competing in challenges that tested their abilities, using tools including fans, bells, dowsing rods and modern-day laptops.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 July 2026
  • This story covers the rise of robots rebelling against their masters.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of master

Browse Nearby Words

kingly
kingpin
kingpins
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kingpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpin. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of spindrift

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All