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

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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

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 The Volunteers have been the kingpin of Arlington ISD football the last two seasons, but several squads like Lamar, Arlington Martin and Arlington seem to have made solid offseason progress. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2026 Sunday treats us to Chalk It Up regulars and bouncing local rock kingpins the Brodys, flanked by Asesinos, Rose Lyon, Sol Peligro and Leaping Blennies. — Aaron Davis, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Beneath his smooth and calm outward behavior, Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) is a calculated drug kingpin who will stop at nothing to stay on top. — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026 In the Guy Ritchie crime drama, Winstone plays kingpin Bobby Glass. — Jack Dunn, Variety, 29 Aug. 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
  • Nvidia, Google, Microsoft, and other tech heavyweights have collaborated to sketch a new electrical architecture for them, with a different kind of transformer facing the grid, and a small industry has formed to build it.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • He’s held mitts for world champions, for Olympic heavyweights, and for too many professionals to count in 30-something years of boxing.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of heavyweight
Noun
  • Kabila's new Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, or FRN, includes rebel groups formerly united under the Congo River Alliance, whose former leader Corneille Nangaa will serve as one of the new coalition's two vice presidents.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
  • When even the CEOs of the companies leading the AI race warn of the risk of potentially losing control of their own technology, the need for leaders who approach its adoption with caution, accountability, and sound judgement has never been so clear.
    — Rumman Chowdhury, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of leader
Noun
  • These days her Halloween costumes are often elaborate and prosthetic-heavy.
    — Marah Eakin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • That also suggests the league accepts, or at least tolerates, the flag-heavy officiating that has come to define the early months of the season.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of heavy
Noun
  • Banijay bosses Jeff Zucker, Marco Bassetti and Jane Turton were in Cannes along with David Decker, the executive handed the Skydance content sales keys by David Ellison.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Durham was later apprehended and served time in prison for the crime, but not before selling the paintings to a notorious crime boss who was later found in possession of the art.
    — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of boss
Noun
  • Go rebound the basketball, go protect the rim, be a big big for us.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The belief in Green Bay is the veteran bigs will give Love more time to throw.
    — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of big
Noun
  • Rooms in the back of the second and third floors had mahogany window frames that peered into the main space, allowing a foreman to supervise workers.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The Nepal Electricity Authority named the two men who were rescued alive as 30-year-old Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman from Saptari district in eastern Nepal, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor from Kathmandu.
    — Bhadra Sharma, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of foreman
Noun
  • French jewelry maison Boucheron was founded in 1858 and built a legacy of adorning royals, stars and magnates in jewelry that combines precious, rare gems with equally ingenious designs.
    — Tanya Dukes, Robb Report, 12 Oct. 2026
  • His short stint on social media wasn't the only personal detail the AI magnate offered in the interview, but one gets the sense that these days, Affleck doesn't have that much to reveal.
    — Roberta Mercuri, Vanity Fair, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of magnate
Noun
  • Named the After Series, Anastassiades drew inspiration from Danish masters like Kaare Klint and Poul Kjærholm.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • After graduating, Tatham went to UCLA for a masters in architecture.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of master

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Cite this Entry

“Kingpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpin. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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