tycoon

noun

ty·​coon tī-ˈkün How to pronounce tycoon (audio)
1
a
: a businessperson of exceptional wealth, power, and influence : magnate
b
: a top leader (as in politics)
2
: shogun

Examples of tycoon in a Sentence

an oil tycoon who's widely considered the most powerful man in the county
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The Phoenician Scheme follows wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) who is on the run and wanted by myriad governments, the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 July 2025 Meanwhile, The Daily Planet gets acquired by tycoon David Warfield (Sam Wanamaker), who fires Perry White and appoints his daughter Lacy (Mariel Hemingway) as the new editor. Will Harris, EW.com, 11 July 2025 However, others tycoons, foreign terrorists and a group of assassins are also looking to take Korda down. Rudie Obias, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2025 Among this year’s cohort are tech tycoons Tim Cook of Apple, Sam Altman of OpenAI, and Andy Jassy of Amazon. Emily Steinberger, Fortune, 9 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for tycoon

Word History

Etymology

Japanese taikun

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of tycoon was in 1857

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Cite this Entry

“Tycoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tycoon. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

tycoon

noun
ty·​coon tī-ˈkün How to pronounce tycoon (audio)
: a very wealthy and powerful business person
Etymology

Japanese taikun "shogun"

More from Merriam-Webster on tycoon

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