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
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
-
Celebrating Fruits, Veggies, Dairy, and Some Sodium At the top of the pyramid, with the protein heavyweights, are vegetables and fruits.—
Outside,
Outside,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Hospitality heavyweights like Orient Express, The Ritz-Carlton, Aman and Four Seasons are taking their brand of high-end service to the high seas, betting that affluent travelers would rather board a boutique yacht than a floating megacity.—
Elycia Rubin,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Gables leaders have raised concerns during city meetings about the potential impact.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
City leaders in Lake Dallas got more than an earful from residents who believe they were failed during a crisis in late March when a house explosion critically injured Jessica Bailey Lopez.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Purdue is more perimeter-oriented, and what the Boilers get from their bigs is largely a bonus.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
So our bigs were going to have to hit bodies, but our guards were going to have to come clean it up.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Bernadine was now viewed with such suspicion that Chalker’s bosses suspected a setup.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Even romantic relationships can’t fill the gap Rinne sees forming between employees and their bosses.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
28 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
-
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
-
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.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Especially with everyone thinking black paint and black wheels and all black everything makes for a badass vehicle.—
Thomas Westerholm,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Insider experiences include a tour of a private palazzo by a prince no less, a painting class inspired by Caravaggio, and a master class in mixing the perfect aperitivo by resident masters.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
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This kind of experience was pioneered by theme park masters like Disney, but it has now been embraced by legacy institutions like the Goodman as a way to attract non-theater audiences and, well, mix things up a bit, aesthetically speaking.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kingpins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpins. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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