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
New concepts abound as TV-news kingpins work to meet younger viewers in new environments.
—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Now, nearly a decade later, Hamza is in the inner circle as the kingpin of the Baloch gang that rules the city of Karachi.
—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Just when the officers come up with a plan to arrest Carter and Hakan for their respective drug empires, the kingpins start to become suspicious of their team members and become convinced that they've been infiltrated.
—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
The Milanese fashion kingpin was born in Reggio Calabria and began his career at his mother's dressmaking atelier.
—
Lee Marshall,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for kingpin
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Now, nearly a decade later, Hamza is in the inner circle as the kingpin of the Baloch gang that rules the city of Karachi.
—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Just when the officers come up with a plan to arrest Carter and Hakan for their respective drug empires, the kingpins start to become suspicious of their team members and become convinced that they've been infiltrated.
—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
The Milanese fashion kingpin was born in Reggio Calabria and began his career at his mother's dressmaking atelier.
—
Lee Marshall,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for kingpin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kingpin
Noun
-
The lineup of country music heavyweights due to receive special awards from the Academy of Country Music this summer has been set, with Kacey Musgraves, Ella Langley and Eric Church among the stars being feted at the 19th annual ACM Honors program.
-
Shares of South Korean chip heavyweight Samsung Electronics rose more than 4% after jumping as much as 10% earlier in the session.
Noun
-
Downtown Sacramento businesses remain skeptical that the state’s July return-to-office mandate affecting roughly 95,000 employees will actually materialize, even as foot traffic sits at 85% of April 2019 levels and local leaders rethink the urban core’s heavy reliance on office space.
-
The concerns have drawn the attention of city leaders.
Noun
-
In any year, in any culture, there are no antagonists (save for Nazis) better suited as action cinema heavies; rooting against child trafficking lowlifes is moral, easy, and best of all, a completely guiltless pleasure.
-
The morning meal is becoming the most protein-heavy of the day in many homes, a notable change from the carb-forward cereals and pastries that once defined the American breakfast table.
Noun
-
Countless Argentina bosses tried and failed.
-
On Thursday, the Interior Department was claiming to have beat back the toxic blooms — while doing a drive-by trashing of Barack Obama to please the boss.
Noun
-
Like Stewart, Ejiofor has the kind of strength to deal with being an undersized big.
-
So Bauer heads back to Mexico City, continuing a journey that has taken him everywhere except the bigs.
Noun
-
Until then, viewers can enjoy the boiling, sometimes exploding, tension between Rob-Will and Rip, the new Jackson-family ranch foreman.
-
Joaquin tries to explain what happened with Chet, but Rip doesn’t want to talk about the ranch’s dead ex-foreman.
Noun
-
One of the previous proposals was a 12-story project proposed by San Diego hotel magnate and onetime San Diego Union-Tribune owner Doug Manchester.
-
Casino magnate Miriam Adelson, the hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin, the options trader Jeff Yass, and the shipping-supplies billionaires Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein each gave more than $100 million.
Noun
-
Owing to lengthy maturation cycles, these inaugural releases are rums influenced by the craft and stewardship of three generations of Mount Gay master blenders.
-
But according to master distiller Brent Elliott, this cask finishing project started well before either of those things were a reality.
Cite this Entry
“Kingpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpin. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
