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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
-
This group includes finance mogul Stephen Smith, car dealership billionaire Norman Braman, industrial business magnate Harsh Goenka, homebuilder Patrick Neal and five anonymous respondents.—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
-
Lauder, a billionaire, philanthropist and son of the makeup magnate Estée Lauder, founded the initiative in 2022 as a way to increase access to Jewish day schools in America.—
Lois K. Solomon,
Sun Sentinel,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
With a net worth of $22.7 billion based on a Pop Mart stake, the 38-year-old is the youngest member of the country’s top echelon of tycoons, which includes ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming, Nongfu Spring Chairman Zhong Shanshan and Tencent cofounder Ma Huateng.—
Yue Wang,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
The bizarre political bromance between the most powerful man on Earth and the wealthiest tycoon in the world appeared to be over Thursday as President Trump and Elon Musk traded barbs in the wake of the Tesla mogul’s harsh criticism of his signature Big Beautiful Bill.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
The cushy king beds are topped with $23,000 mattresses from 100-year-old luxury Swedish label Duxiana.—
Katie Nanton,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2025
-
Their responses revealed a clear message: Efficiency is king.—
Sonali Bloom,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
The proposition that reporters unintentionally missed the full story of Biden’s decline is much more credible, and has been advanced not only by Thompson and Tapper but by numerous journalistic bigwigs, both now and in the immediate aftermath of the debate.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
-
Upset about being undercut, the Texas bigwig resolves to put Georgie out of business.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pooh-bah.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pooh-bah. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share