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 tech sector’s influence is also capable of quickly switching over to a heavyweight.
    — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The two acting heavyweights had never worked together until these two shows.
    — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of heavyweight
Noun
  • Shooters have thrived in Campbell’s spacing due to how much attention point guards and bigs generate off the pick-and-roll.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Go rebound the basketball, go protect the rim, be a big big for us.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 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 company was founded by the late industrial magnate Miguel Facussé, whose daughter Pérez later married.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
  • At some point in the last few days, Henry (Hudson Williams), the spoiled 22-year-old scion of a fish processing magnate, has disappeared from his giant mansion perched at the edge of a Canadian island.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 20 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
  • Over those decades, tycoons have leveraged their fortunes to shape the state with their railroads, mines, newspapers, oil businesses and ranching and agriculture.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector will be back as the ambitious social climber Bertha Russell and her railroad tycoon husband George Russell, though their relationship hit some rough waters in Season 3.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Oct. 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 31 Oct. 2026.

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