1
as in heavyweights
one of high position or importance within a group
a police sting that nabbed several kingpins of the city's drug trade
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in leaders
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do
finally nailed the mob kingpin who had been controlling all the gambling rackets in the city
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 kingpins
Instead, the often low-rung crews are detained for interrogation, in the hope of shedding light on shady drug kingpins, gang operations and distribution networks.
—
Simon Owen , Greg Palkot, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025
The artifacts were seized through civil forfeiture, a sometimes controversial practice that dates back to the age of privateers and that has since been used to go after moonshiners, mafia dons and drug kingpins.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Another 22 billionaires returned to the ranking after dropping off the list in a previous year, including crypto kingpins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and stock trading app Robinhood’s Baiju Bhatt.
—Thomas Gallagher, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Described as cocaine kingpins and convicted of a non-violent drug conspiracy, the brothers had been in prison since the mid-1990s, according to NBC DFW.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2025
The same goes for Georgia and Ohio State and several other current kingpins.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
So how about De Niro playing not one but two Mafia kingpins in the same movie?
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
Crypto kingpins rubbing elbows with the president and the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission?
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025
The emergency mandate also bars inmates from establishing any contact with individuals outside the prison, including lawyers, relatives, or associates, thereby preventing kingpins from continuing to run their groups from behind bars.
—Gustavo Flores-Macías, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kingpins
Noun
-
The congratulatory messages from the two ex-presidents, who are among the Democratic Party’s most popular national figures, appear to be a signal mainstream Democratic heavyweights are warming up to Mamdani as the party continues to regroup following staggering losses nationally in 2024.—
-
In the first episode of Season 3, Tommy is working to unite the city's biggest drug heavyweights to solidify his own network alongside his partner, Diamond.—
Noun
-
Minneapolis leaders are pushing for state law enforcement to be part of a joint investigation with the FBI into Wednesday's shooting.—
-
Last January, Navajo leaders advised citizens to carry their Certificate of Indian Blood or tribal identification card.—
Noun
-
Guards, bigs, everybody just has to rebound, box out and just run.—
-
But going through opposing bigs to get to the cup is never going to be his specialty.—
Noun
-
There is so much energy in Falk’s writing that the reader can feel tensions in the city as officials, some working secretly with the bosses, try to stop the cigar factory women from organizing, call them Communists and demean them for being Polish.—
-
This is a very special week to pitch ideas to bosses or powerful figures.—
Noun
-
Kier’s American career centered around playing heavies.—
-
In February, Mayor Harrell, at the behest of local heavies such as Amazon and Microsoft, led the opposition to a referendum on another tax on those companies which would help pay for public, mixed-income housing in a city that desperately needs it.—
Noun
-
For years after that, TCU alums who had served as Ranch Week foremen or queen would proudly include it on resumes, in professional biographies or when running for office.—
Noun
-
Make sure the tires reconnect with the road - During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.—
-
And the boy looked at this giant peppermint on the wheels and felt pride.—
Noun
-
The two worked together on Anderson’s most recent film, The Phoenician Scheme, for which Sharp sourced original paintings by such masters as Pierre-Auguste Renoir and René Magritte for the art collection owned by Zsa-Zsa Korda (played by Benicio Del Toro).—
-
Hughes is a certified personal trainer with a masters in holistic nutrition and about 20 years of experience helping clients get strong with weights.—
Cite this Entry
“Kingpins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kingpins. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share