1
as in heavyweights
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 leaders
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 kingpins
Premiering in 2002, the crime drama depicted life on the streets of Baltimore with uncompromising realism, following a sprawling cast of characters from police officers to drug kingpins.
—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
The life-and-death stakes were raised when the former high school series jumped five years to show a now-young adult Rue becoming a drug mule and working for rival kingpins (Martha Kelly’s Laurie also took her own life in the finale).
—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
The notorious hotspot, now a luxury property, was a fave hangout of violent kingpins, hard-living celebs, dirty cops and crooked politicians.
—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2026
New concepts abound as TV-news kingpins work to meet younger viewers in new environments.
—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 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
Cambodia passed unprecedented legislation Monday imposing life imprisonment for scam kingpins as the nation vows to eliminate cyber fraud operations by month’s end.
—
Sopheng Cheang,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
The legislation also ignores the reality that as the kingpins in the SEC and Big Ten have gotten really rich, the other leagues have seen healthy returns and profits as well at roughly the same pace.
—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
In Culiacan, in neighboring Sinaloa state, home to a cartel of the same name, there is a cemetery known for its luxury crypts and mausoleums for one-time kingpins like Ignacio Coronel - an old associate of El Mencho - and Arturo Beltrán Leyva.
—
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
The life-and-death stakes were raised when the former high school series jumped five years to show a now-young adult Rue becoming a drug mule and working for rival kingpins (Martha Kelly’s Laurie also took her own life in the finale).
—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
The notorious hotspot, now a luxury property, was a fave hangout of violent kingpins, hard-living celebs, dirty cops and crooked politicians.
—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2026
New concepts abound as TV-news kingpins work to meet younger viewers in new environments.
—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
19 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
Cambodia passed unprecedented legislation Monday imposing life imprisonment for scam kingpins as the nation vows to eliminate cyber fraud operations by month’s end.
—
Sopheng Cheang,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
The legislation also ignores the reality that as the kingpins in the SEC and Big Ten have gotten really rich, the other leagues have seen healthy returns and profits as well at roughly the same pace.
—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
In Culiacan, in neighboring Sinaloa state, home to a cartel of the same name, there is a cemetery known for its luxury crypts and mausoleums for one-time kingpins like Ignacio Coronel - an old associate of El Mencho - and Arturo Beltrán Leyva.
—
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kingpins
Noun
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The result dashed hopes of a team touted as dark horses who could make a long run in the tournament by beating traditional soccer heavyweights such as Brazil.
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His World's Best Bourbon title actually came at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, beating out Kentucky's heavyweights.
Noun
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In response to what state leaders describe as threats from the federal government, the Minnesota Department of Human Services began the major task of revalidating 5,472 providers across various service programs deemed at high risk for fraud.
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This disconnect stems from a lack of psychological safety, where leaders fear speaking up or challenging ideas.
Noun
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For the past few weeks, the Valkyries’ first-ever All-Star has been anchoring Golden State’s defense in critical moments, guarding opposing bigs and sacrificing offensive opportunities for the sake of scheme.
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So Bauer heads back to Mexico City, continuing a journey that has taken him everywhere except the bigs.
Noun
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His job was to cut and paste responses from scripts his scam bosses generated.
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Some bosses are demanding, disorganized or poor communicators but still want their teams to succeed.
Noun
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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.
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However, on season 2 of Twin Peaks, the actress played Miss Jones, the right-hand woman for one of the series' heavies, Thomas Eckhardt (the late David Warner).
Noun
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Customers were very important; workers, foremen.
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For years after that, TCU alums who had served as Ranch Week foremen or queen would proudly include it on resumes, in professional biographies or when running for office.
Noun
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To turn the rudder, six cadets must man three massive wheels made of wood and copper.
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Apollo 3 will offer both bipedal and wheeled configurations, with wheels providing efficiency and regulatory compliance for initial industrial deployments, while bipedal versions target broader applications.
Noun
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During her Lover era, Swift found herself in a public dispute with talent manager Scooter Braun and Big Machine Records over the purchase of the masters of her first six albums.
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Above all else, in the aftermath of the Eras Tour and Swift reclaiming her masters, what feels most essential to her from a public-facing perspective is image control.
Cite this Entry
“Kingpins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpins. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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