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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kingpins
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
Instead, the often low-rung crews are detained for interrogation, in the hope of shedding light on shady drug kingpins, gang operations and distribution networks.
—Simon Owen , Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025
The artifacts were seized through civil forfeiture, a sometimes controversial practice that dates back to the age of privateers and that has since been used to go after moonshiners, mafia dons and drug kingpins.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Another 22 billionaires returned to the ranking after dropping off the list in a previous year, including crypto kingpins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and stock trading app Robinhood’s Baiju Bhatt.
—Thomas Gallagher, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Described as cocaine kingpins and convicted of a non-violent drug conspiracy, the brothers had been in prison since the mid-1990s, according to NBC DFW.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2025
The same goes for Georgia and Ohio State and several other current kingpins.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
So how about De Niro playing not one but two Mafia kingpins in the same movie?
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
The emergency mandate also bars inmates from establishing any contact with individuals outside the prison, including lawyers, relatives, or associates, thereby preventing kingpins from continuing to run their groups from behind bars.
—Gustavo Flores-Macías, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2024
Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Instead, the often low-rung crews are detained for interrogation, in the hope of shedding light on shady drug kingpins, gang operations and distribution networks.
—Simon Owen , Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025
The artifacts were seized through civil forfeiture, a sometimes controversial practice that dates back to the age of privateers and that has since been used to go after moonshiners, mafia dons and drug kingpins.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Another 22 billionaires returned to the ranking after dropping off the list in a previous year, including crypto kingpins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and stock trading app Robinhood’s Baiju Bhatt.
—Thomas Gallagher, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Described as cocaine kingpins and convicted of a non-violent drug conspiracy, the brothers had been in prison since the mid-1990s, according to NBC DFW.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2025
The same goes for Georgia and Ohio State and several other current kingpins.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
So how about De Niro playing not one but two Mafia kingpins in the same movie?
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
The emergency mandate also bars inmates from establishing any contact with individuals outside the prison, including lawyers, relatives, or associates, thereby preventing kingpins from continuing to run their groups from behind bars.
—Gustavo Flores-Macías, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kingpins
Noun
-
Elsewhere in the shopping arcade, culinary heavyweights like Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay, and Daniel Boulud lend their names to additional restaurants.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Bores, once an engineer at Palantir (the AI company involved in helping ICE), has earned the ire of his former bosses, and other tech bro heavyweights, by forcefully campaigning on regulation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Boston community leaders proposed a new plan to tackle the open-air drug market at and around Mass and Cass that focuses on getting addicts off the streets, out of jail and into recovery in order to avoid last summer’s crowding and chaos.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Harm reduction can encompass a range of practices, including handing out free needles to slow the spread of disease, and many local leaders credit some of those efforts with recent drops in fatal overdoses.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Miller and Crawford are closer than ever to the bigs.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Booker stood up to the Boilermakers’ bigs, blocking three shots of his own, playing a season-high 35 minutes three days after being iced out of the rotation against the Buckeyes.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sharon is keeping an eye on the guy who got his diamonds ripped off in Act One, because her bosses don’t want to pay out.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Their probation officers might need to meet with their bosses.—
Miranda Dunlap,
jsonline.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Paramount executive also became president of the American Motion Picture Association (precursor to the MPA) in 1925, beating out the likes of Marcus Loew, Lasky, William Fox, Hays, Sam Rothafel, Sam Katz, Carl Laemmle, Joseph Schenck, and other Hollywood heavies.—
Chris Yogerst,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Kier’s American career centered around playing heavies.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
24 Nov. 2025
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.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
While older torque vectoring systems use the brakes to balance power between wheels, Audi’s setup here is active, using an electric motor actuator to make huge power deltas between the left and right wheels if necessary.—
Andrew P. Collins,
The Drive,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
By nature, dogs are masters of social life who can communicate beyond the boundaries of their species.—
Margret Grebowicz,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
-
With 200 pairs of hands strong in its Hangzhou workshop, which is led by filigree masters from Beijing, Borland is able to execute nearly everything by hand, with a typical two-month wait time that remains on the faster end of the current market.—
Denni Hu,
Footwear News,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kingpins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpins. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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