lions

noun

plural of lion
as in magnates
a person of rank, power, or influence in a particular field the book festival brought together two lions of contemporary poetry for a joint reading

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 lions Poaching once devastated the park, but in the past decade, 40,000 wire snares have been removed, and black rhinos, cheetahs, lions and wild dogs have been reintroduced. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 19 July 2026 For those wanting a more traditional safari, elephants, lions and leopards can still be found on day trips to nearby Mapungubwe National Park. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 For more than two decades, a pair of imposing granite lions flanked the entrance to a rust-red building deep inside the Arctic Circle. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 10 July 2026 The not-so-obvious irony is that some 20,000 years ago, humans domesticated the wolf as protection from bears and lions. — Steve Searles, Mercury News, 8 July 2026 Circe is able, by means of drugs and incantations, to change humans into wolves, lions, and other animals. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 July 2026 Some time later, Umbro even released a special New Order version of it, with a World In Motion logo replacing the three lions national crest. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 28 June 2026 Alligators, crocodiles, lions, tigers, and bears might have to become supper. — David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lions
  1. magnates
  2. tycoons
  3. kings
  4. princes
Noun
  • The verdict cleared a legal cloud hanging over OpenAI's restructuring right as both magnates were steering their companies toward the public market.
    — Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • Newspapers fell into the hands of magnates who advanced their own interests.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Definition of magnates
Noun
  • Despite the turmoil set off by the Iran war and border skirmishes with Cambodia, the country’s tycoons are collectively richer and its stock market has surged as Thailand positions itself as a regional data center hub powered by green energy.
    — Naazneen Karmali, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Set in the eponymous Texas metropolis, Dallas followed the Ewings, a powerful family of oil tycoons and ranch owners whose feuds and foibles made for wildly entertaining primetime viewing.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 28 June 2026
Definition of tycoons
Noun
  • An Argentina team that was the kings of the late-game rally in this tournament had no answer this time.
    — Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
  • The Journey The three kings — Agamemnon, Menelaus and Odysseus — parted ways at Troy and began their return voyages.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
Definition of kings
Noun
  • The two young princes also took part in the Norwegian Viking Row, a tradition among Norwegian fans that has become iconic during this World Cup.
    — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026
  • Going forward, the Sealand princes see their nation existing in two ways.
    — Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 12 July 2026
Definition of princes

Browse Nearby Words

lionizing
lions
lip
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lions. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lions

Nglish: Translation of lions for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of itinerant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All