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
The aftermath of a Mexican special forces raid offered a window into the life of a fugitive drug kingpin.
—
Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
This is the practical problem with the approach known as the kingpin strategy.
—Dallas Morning News, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2026
Oseguera was one of the most wanted cartel kingpins in Mexico and the United States.
—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
After the Mexican military killed drug cartel kingpin Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as El Mencho, officials detailed the weapons recovered in the firefights.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kingpin
Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
This is the practical problem with the approach known as the kingpin strategy.
—Dallas Morning News, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2026
Oseguera was one of the most wanted cartel kingpins in Mexico and the United States.
—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
After the Mexican military killed drug cartel kingpin Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as El Mencho, officials detailed the weapons recovered in the firefights.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kingpin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kingpin
Noun
-
The Actor award went to Amy Madigan, a lone nominee from a horror film who’s swimming against a prevailing current that favors Best Picture heavyweights.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The kingdom is the region’s heavyweight, and its decisions could shape whether others follow.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The conflict was sparked by Hezbollah targeting Israel after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, breaking a 2024 ceasefire that in any case had largely failed.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Now that local leaders have cleared the way, CoreCivic can begin accepting detainees under its $60 million-a-year contract with ICE.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Specifically, Alioto sought to reimagine the magazine as a many-pronged vehicle for promising tastes—like those of regular contributors and critical heavies, Grace Byron and Greta Rainbow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Absinthe-eyed, she projectile-vomits blunt observations and also oysters onto the heavies, overimbibing her way into her own grave once she’s inevitably discarded with a shot and shove down a stairwell (a barely-there John Magaro plays one of the gangsters).—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Initially premiering at the Midnight Screening at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, Gangster Cop Devil tells of a police officer and a crime boss who reluctantly team-up to track down a serial killer.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
-
David will play his boss, Garner Taggert, who runs the Garner Taggart PI Agency where his son Mitch and Mickey are the main PIs.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Cowboys took advantage of those precious seconds when TCU’s bigs would rotate back to find open men cutting to the basket or shooters in the corner.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Actually, most starting Big Ten bigs would leave Fielder in the dust.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Just days into construction, their foreman called to report finding human bones in the ground.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Place, a foreman and driver for Camelback Moving, asked the guard what was happening.—
Sydney Page The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And in the milk biz, Guida and his brother Frank had gone from pickup truck peddling to the undisputed milk magnates of Central Connecticut.—
Jody Mamone,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Darius Anderson, a longtime lobbyist in the state Capitol who played a role in the 2013 effort to keep the Sacramento Kings from leaving the city, stands accused of fraud by his longtime business partner Ron Burkle, a grocery store magnate whose wealth is estimated to be in the billions.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Open positions include detention officer, recreation supervisor, certified medical assistant, psychiatrist, shift supervisor, assistant shift supervisor, master scheduler, locksmith, maintenance worker and human resource assistant.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
-
And though the grill master in you may automatically want to put a firepit or outdoor kitchen under your new corner pergola, doing so could pose a serious fire or smoke hazard.—
Melissa Minton,
Architectural Digest,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kingpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpin. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
