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
  • Once upon a time, Georgia-Florida was an annual heavyweight fight, two proud programs trading punches and championships while their fans traded insults and cocktails in Jacksonville.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Since taking office, Mamdani has named Diya Vij, an arts-organizations veteran, to lead the Department of Cultural Affairs, and assembled a slew of heavyweights to serve on his Committee on Arts and Culture.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of heavyweight
Noun
  • The efforts of Onyeka Okongwu and Lu Dort helped minimize any damage from Wizards bigs Alex Sarr and Deandre Ayton.
    — Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The bigs come out a lot to pressure the ball in ball screen coverage.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of big
Noun
  • Of course, the Nasdaq-100 or a similar tech-heavy index, isn’t guaranteed to deliver 21% returns each year for a decade going forward.
    — Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • These days her Halloween costumes are often elaborate and prosthetic-heavy.
    — Marah Eakin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of heavy
Noun
  • The jewels date back to Sofía’s 1962 wedding to the future King Juan Carlos, with the wider suite gifted by Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos and the matching earrings reportedly presented by her mother, Queen Frederica of Greece.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The tour takes guests through the Gilded Age mansion, built in 1904 for furniture magnate Amos Rhodes.
    — Madeline Montgomery, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of magnate
Noun
  • To the average investor, the bond markets may seem like a concern better left to Wall Street bigwigs.
    — Personal Finance, TheWeek, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The suit added a glamour factor for bigwig sponsors who would sometimes ride along.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of bigwig
Noun
  • Cruise plays an oil tycoon who is faced with the end of the world after one of his rigs in Antartica malfunctions and sends ice caps hurtling towards Europe.
    — Zack Sharf, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Commissioned by an oil tycoon in the 1920s, the sprawling Tudor-style estate spans 16 acres of formal English gardens, but this week, all the floral arrangements worth noting were inside the Great Hall.
    — Paul Chi, Vogue, 1 Nov. 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 10 Nov. 2026.

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