variants
also poo-bah
as in heavyweight
one of high position or importance within a group
an annual clambake that attracts political pooh-bahs from around the state
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of pooh-bah
That’s nothing new: politics has been part of the Olympics since their inception, despite what the pooh-bahs claim.
—
Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
Through his vital performance, and no doubt, director Peter Ellenstein’s shaping and sculpting the portrayal, what could be at worst a pooh-bah’s laundry list makes for a consuming evening.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
Instead of improving classroom instruction, education pooh-bahs try to hide their failures by dumbing down standards.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
This kind of surgical enhancement can still be frowned upon in the restoration world, decried as fakery by the pooh-bahs of all-original-everything.
—Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 13 July 2024
To Richardson-Merrell’s pooh-bahs, her scrutiny seemed like the dilatory work of someone who didn’t know how the game was played.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
Like Joe Rogan, the carnivorous pooh-bah of this intellectual space, Brand appeared interested in teaching a certain kind of man how to be a certain kind of man, mining the tension between think-for-yourself riffs and listen-to-me conclusions.
—Matt Flegenheimer, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023
But the pooh-bahs in Brussels didn’t exactly rush to say yes.
—Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 25 Oct. 2023
Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
Through his vital performance, and no doubt, director Peter Ellenstein’s shaping and sculpting the portrayal, what could be at worst a pooh-bah’s laundry list makes for a consuming evening.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
Instead of improving classroom instruction, education pooh-bahs try to hide their failures by dumbing down standards.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
This kind of surgical enhancement can still be frowned upon in the restoration world, decried as fakery by the pooh-bahs of all-original-everything.
—Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 13 July 2024
To Richardson-Merrell’s pooh-bahs, her scrutiny seemed like the dilatory work of someone who didn’t know how the game was played.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
Like Joe Rogan, the carnivorous pooh-bah of this intellectual space, Brand appeared interested in teaching a certain kind of man how to be a certain kind of man, mining the tension between think-for-yourself riffs and listen-to-me conclusions.
—Matt Flegenheimer, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023
But the pooh-bahs in Brussels didn’t exactly rush to say yes.
—Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 25 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pooh-bah
Noun
-
Shares of index heavyweight Softbank surged more than 13%.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
-
Over the course of the series, Hart was joined by a roster of comedy heavyweights in evaluating comics from across the country.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
The problem came later in the fourth quarter, when the Spurs’ low man defender had to step up to stop Edwards or Julius Randle and the Wolves’ other bigs were able to cut behind the defense to clean everything up on the glass.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
The Sparks are backcourt heavy, then have three bigs in Nneka Ogwumike, Cameron Brink and Dearica Hamby.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Scoring more than 50% off on these bass-heavy icons is a total win for your playlist and your pocket.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The only caution is that the Chiefs were drafting from a position of strength and still leaned projection-heavy on a few picks, but that is a very small complaint for a very sharp weekend.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Greek shipping tycoons, Morley said, may be intrigued by the glory of owning Onassis’s yacht; Middle Eastern oil magnates could have the means to buy a pricey piece of history.—
Michael Ballaban,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
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Sportico also reported Thursday that Indian steel magnate Aditya Mittal and former Boston Celtics control owner Wyc Grousbeck were teaming up for a bid.—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Suspicions of possible ties to drug traffickers have long hung over Rocha Mayo, who was born in Badiraguato, the same mountainous municipality in Sinaloa that is the hometown of El Chapo and other cartel bigwigs.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Locking the doors has been the point, as Beacon Hill bigwigs have dodged every jab DiZoglio could throw.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The brash business tycoon was also a yachtsman, philanthropist, environmentalist and owner of baseball’s Atlanta Braves in their heyday.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
-
Greek shipping tycoons, Morley said, may be intrigued by the glory of owning Onassis’s yacht; Middle Eastern oil magnates could have the means to buy a pricey piece of history.—
Michael Ballaban,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pooh-bah.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pooh-bah. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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