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• baron
  baron

  noun

  a member of the lowest grade of nobility.
• Baron
  Baron

  noun

  Michel Michel Boyron, 1653–1729, French actor.

baron

¹ American  

[bar-uhn] / ˈbær ən /

noun

• barons
  plural

1. a member of the lowest grade of nobility.

2. (in Britain)

   1. a feudal vassal holding his lands under a direct grant from the king.

   2. a direct descendant of such a vassal or his equal in the nobility.

   3. a member of the House of Lords.

3. an important financier or industrialist, especially one with great power in a particular area.

   an oil baron.

4. a cut of mutton or lamb comprising the two loins, or saddle, and the hind legs.

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Baron ² American  

[ba-rawn] / baˈrɔ̃ /

noun

1. Michel Michel Boyron, 1653–1729, French actor.

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baron British  

/ ˈbærən /

noun

1. a member of a specific rank of nobility, esp the lowest rank in the British Isles

2. (in Europe from the Middle Ages) originally any tenant-in-chief of a king or other overlord, who held land from his superior by honourable service; a land-holding nobleman

3. a powerful businessman or financier

   a press baron

4. English law (formerly) the title held by judges of the Court of Exchequer

5. short for baron of beef

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• barons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of baron

1200–50; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin barōn- (stemof barō ) man < Germanic; sense “cut of beef ” perhaps by analogy with the fanciful analysis of sirloin as “Sir Loin”

Explanation

A baron is a nobleman — a member of the aristocracy. Barons are also important, powerful businessmen with huge influence over their industries. In Britain, a baron is called “Lord,” but in the States, we call them “rich.” Barons are members of the aristocracy — wealthy people born into power and influence. How high a baron ranks depends on the country, but the title always carries respect. Similarly, a business leader who is rich, powerful, and influential is a baron. The term is used in phrases such as oil baron and baron of industry. You can also call that kind of baron a big businessman, magnate, mogul, top executive, or tycoon.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

baron Baron barons

Patriarch and oil baron Ed Doheny and wife Estelle acquired the home in 1901 and the Doheny family made it their home for nearly 60 years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

To launch the biggest offering ever, the space baron is drawing on his real power: everyday investors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026

Not because Mullin, a wealthy plumbing baron from Oklahoma who’s served in Washington since 2013, has a distinguished legislative record.

From Slate ● Mar. 7, 2026

Help came when some of his friends met Hari Khoday, the late liquor baron who was building a temple in Pandavapura.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

The baroness and her husband, the baron, were close friends of the Ashtons, although even Lady Constance found the baroness a chore to be around.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

It was at UCB where he first crossed paths with celebrated clown teacher Philippe Gaulier, whose former students include Sacha Baron Cohen, Rachel Weisz and Geoffrey Rush.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

“This is the most significant escalation in quite a few years, maybe since 2020,” said Adam Baron, a Yemen expert and fellow with New America, a policy institute in Washington.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

A content creator named Baron Coleman received 503,000 views on a single stream about “suspicious” issues with the killing—far more views than he has followers.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

Born in Gloucester in October 1993, Cottrell's mother, the Honourable Fiona Cottrell, is an aristocrat whose father, the third Baron Manton, inherited a family soap empire, the Sunday Times reports.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

“I had it from the Bloody Baron, who saw him arrive,” said Nick.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

In 1826, young Benjamin Disraeli popularized the word “millionaire” to describe the new industrial barons in his novel “Vivian Grey.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

It’s a concept historically antithetical to California, long boosted as the land of today and tomorrow by everyone from the Mission fathers to orange barons, developers to politicians.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

From Koli fisherfolk to colonial planners, and from Bollywood stars to textile barons, many have shaped the western Indian city's landscape and identity.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

This was the age of robber barons like John D. Rockefeller, whose Standard Oil was a business “trust” comprising dozens of companies in numerous vertically linked industries.

From Barron's ● Jan. 13, 2026

He kept the minds of the barons of Castile occupied with this, so that, concentrating on that war, they did not consider rebellion.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Related Words

• aristocrat