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
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Recent Examples of pooh-bah
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
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 brand is a jewel in the crown of luxury magnate Bernard Arnault, the founder of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, who has owned Dior since 1984.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
29 May 2025
-
But the character is more of a riff on the real-life oil baron Calouste Gulbenkian, the world’s richest man at the time of his death in 1955 and a template for today’s globe-roaming magnates who pledge allegiance only to their own ambitions.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Luxury goods tycoon and Afrikaner Johann Rupert was also in the delegation to help ease Trump’s concerns that land was being seized from white farmers.—
Gerald Imray,
Chicago Tribune,
21 May 2025
-
In both the book and the Kurosawa film, the tycoon at the center of the story’s conflict is in the shoe business.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2025
Noun
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However, mattress brands in this list offer sizes ranging from twin XL to California king.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
30 May 2025
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The ocean suites are laid out with a king bed and a large living room that opens to a generous porch with a daybed.—
Christopher Cameron,
Robb Report,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
Upset about being undercut, the Texas bigwig resolves to put Georgie out of business.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
16 May 2025
-
Lobbyist Robert McBride, who just sold his house in Montauk for over $10 million to Carbone’s chef Rich Torrisi, has been holding court there with political bigwigs.—
Richard Johnson,
New York Daily News,
11 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pooh-bah.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pooh-bah. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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