variants
or fuehrer
as in dictator
a person who uses power or authority in a cruel, unjust, or harmful way
a nation that has suffered under the yoke of one führer after another, never knowing the freedoms of a democracy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of führer
In Berlin, ahead of the 1936 Winter Olympics—her last—Henie skated up to the führer.
—
Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
Daalder was alluding to Britain’s early World War II prime minister who was widely criticized for appeasing Hitler as the German fuhrer marched across Europe.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Overseas, Adolf Hitler was the fuhrer of Germany, and his persecution of Jews became even more apparent after Kristallnacht, in November 1938, when the Nazi regime went on an antisemitic rampage.
—Robert Gudmestad, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024
Hermann Goering, Hitler’s air force chief and deputy fuhrer, was, says the judge, highly intelligent.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Oct. 2021
Yorki is Jojo's best friend and, outside the imaginary fuhrer, his closest confidant.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2019
In 1933, deputy fuhrer Rudolf Hess ordered Heinz Spanknobel, a German immigrant, to form Friends of New Germany, a group based in NYC, with the goal of spreading National Socialism throughout the United States.
—Matt Giles, Longreads, 13 Aug. 2017
Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
Daalder was alluding to Britain’s early World War II prime minister who was widely criticized for appeasing Hitler as the German fuhrer marched across Europe.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Overseas, Adolf Hitler was the fuhrer of Germany, and his persecution of Jews became even more apparent after Kristallnacht, in November 1938, when the Nazi regime went on an antisemitic rampage.
—Robert Gudmestad, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024
Hermann Goering, Hitler’s air force chief and deputy fuhrer, was, says the judge, highly intelligent.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Oct. 2021
Yorki is Jojo's best friend and, outside the imaginary fuhrer, his closest confidant.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2019
In 1933, deputy fuhrer Rudolf Hess ordered Heinz Spanknobel, a German immigrant, to form Friends of New Germany, a group based in NYC, with the goal of spreading National Socialism throughout the United States.
—Matt Giles, Longreads, 13 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for führer
Noun
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Its focus soon shifted to ousting dictator Slobodan Milosevic, using mass demonstrations and a general strike across the provinces to make its point.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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Thousands of Libyans gathered Friday to mourn Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late dictator, at his funeral in northwestern Libya.—
Yousef Murad,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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When a tyrant falls, we may be tempted to imagine a final moment of tragic self-awareness—a personal reckoning, like Oedipus blinding himself, or Macbeth raging on the heath.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Ruling like a petty tyrant from the company’s headquarters in lower Manhattan, Coplan isn’t an easy boss to work with, according to new reporting by the Wall Street Journal.—
Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4,
Futurism,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Führer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/f%C3%BChrer. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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