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
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 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
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
-
The Actor award went to Amy Madigan, a lone nominee from a horror film who’s swimming against a prevailing current that favors Best Picture heavyweights.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The kingdom is the region’s heavyweight, and its decisions could shape whether others follow.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Cowboys took advantage of those precious seconds when TCU’s bigs would rotate back to find open men cutting to the basket or shooters in the corner.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Actually, most starting Big Ten bigs would leave Fielder in the dust.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
8 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
-
And in the milk biz, Guida and his brother Frank had gone from pickup truck peddling to the undisputed milk magnates of Central Connecticut.—
Jody Mamone,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Darius Anderson, a longtime lobbyist in the state Capitol who played a role in the 2013 effort to keep the Sacramento Kings from leaving the city, stands accused of fraud by his longtime business partner Ron Burkle, a grocery store magnate whose wealth is estimated to be in the billions.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There will be galas, dinners, concerts, and a ribbon cutting with all the local political bigwigs.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Colin Firth plays Sir Bucephalus Hodge, a bigwig whose exact credentials escape me, but who’s giving the university a new science building.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Just as Charles died after falling overboard from a luxury yacht named after his daughter, the Lady Yasmin, Maxwell's father, media tycoon Robert Maxwell, died after falling off his own yacht, the Lady Ghislaine.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
2 Mar. 2026
-
An appellate court in Hong Kong reversed fraud convictions against former media tycoon Jimmy Lai.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pooh-bah.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pooh-bah. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
