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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Recent Examples of kingpins
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
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.
—CNN Money, 3 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.
—ABC News, 2 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
Prior to becoming one of the largest cartel kingpins in Mexico, El Mencho had started his drug business career on the streets of San Francisco throughout the mid-1980s to early 1990s, according to reporting from the Louisville Courier Journal.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
The exit of kingpins in the past has never offset the lure of huge profits tied to the voracious appetite for illicit substances north of the border.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
The bubble popped in 2022 thanks to the unraveling of two crypto kingpins, Do Kwon and Sam Bankman-Fried, and the ensuing regulatory crackdown.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
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
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.
—CNN Money, 3 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.
—ABC News, 2 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
Prior to becoming one of the largest cartel kingpins in Mexico, El Mencho had started his drug business career on the streets of San Francisco throughout the mid-1980s to early 1990s, according to reporting from the Louisville Courier Journal.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
The exit of kingpins in the past has never offset the lure of huge profits tied to the voracious appetite for illicit substances north of the border.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
The bubble popped in 2022 thanks to the unraveling of two crypto kingpins, Do Kwon and Sam Bankman-Fried, and the ensuing regulatory crackdown.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kingpins
Noun
-
Her moment of realization was heart-wrenching (and funny) and turned both into reality-TV heavyweights.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The South Korean market had been on a tear last year, soaring more than 75%, and extended gains into the new year as well, with the Kospi hitting fresh highs on the back of semiconductor heavyweights that have seen their shares surge on strong memory chip demand.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Trade negotiators from both sides are reportedly slated to meet in mid-March to lay the groundwork for the leaders’ summit.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Tottenham are drifting, and need to find leaders somewhere, or their season will end in the ignominy of a first relegation in 49 years.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Actually, most starting Big Ten bigs would leave Fielder in the dust.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Blount said afterward that her team was unselfish with the guards feeding the post and the bigs kicking the ball back out to give guards shots.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
One fateful day when the newsroom was short-staffed, bosses asked the green college student to step in.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
-
They were frustrated when the bosses announced Guthrie would be coming back, but at an unknown date.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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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.—
Matt Leclercq,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The amendment allows a property owner to put two ADUs or tiny homes on wheels on lots.—
Mark Dee
March 12,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Make sure the tires reconnect with the road - During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This is a recurring trope in mythology, that dogs and horses recognize their masters when people do not.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Now the actors, who work as game masters and perform as distressed abductees at the venue, will be frightening their guests while under union protection.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kingpins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpins. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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