pooh-bah

noun

ˈpü-ˌbä How to pronounce pooh-bah (audio)
variants also poo-bah
Definition of pooh-bahnext
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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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 pooh-bah 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
  1. heavyweight
  2. big
  3. heavy
  4. magnate
  5. bigwig
  6. tycoon
Noun
  • The art is from the private collection of Paolo and Antonella De Santis, Valentina's parents, and is mostly from the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, with pieces by heavyweights like Anselm Kiefer.
    — Ondine Cohane, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Once in the postseason, there will be no cakewalking for Columbine in a 4A field headlined by Western Slope heavyweight Montrose as well as Ponderosa, Monarch, Broomfield and Mesa Ridge.
    — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of heavyweight
Noun
  • That is a remarkable incentive, if not catnip, to send Condon to the bigs.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Pick-and-rolls at the top of the floor with bigs, pick-and-rolls with smalls.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of big
Noun
  • The one-room restaurant retains the clean, minimalist aesthetic that Anthony has cultivated at the upscale sushi counter but has more stone incorporated into the space than a traditional, wood-heavy omakase would.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Dallas Caton’s bass-heavy production lays the foundation for the frantic and propulsive record.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026
Definition of heavy
Noun
  • Sargeant, a Florida oil magnate, had come under fire from Venezuelan opposition figures and US allies for allegedly propping up Maduro.
    — Fabiola Zerpa, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Ryan Reynolds is already something of a modern-day Renaissance man, being a highly successful actor, billionaire business mogul, and global soccer magnate.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of magnate
Noun
  • Kerry is married to lawyer Billy Macon (Jason Ritter), whose father, William (Garret Dillahunt), is a local bigwig, with a cowboy militia and a wife, Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan), who possibly not coincidentally meets John in a bar.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The idea, according to officials, would bring $500 million to the city’s coffers annually, paid primarily by bigwigs who get to enjoy city life but don’t pay city income taxes.
    — Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of bigwig
Noun
  • By the end of the 2000s, those rates had crashed even further, allowing the wealthiest families to keep nearly two-thirds of an estate after a tycoon’s passing.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Another second-generation tycoon featured in this issue is Eusebio Tanco in Manila, a London School of Economics grad who’s remade his family group, with roots in cement and metal trading, by diversifying into unrelated areas.
    — Naazneen Karmali, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of tycoon

Browse Nearby Words

pooching
pooh-bah
pooh-bahs
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Cite this Entry

“Pooh-bah.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pooh-bah. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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