honcho

[ hon-choh ]

noun

, plural hon·chos.

1. a leader, especially an assertive leader; chief.

verb (used with object)

1. to organize, supervise, or be the leader of:

   She volunteered to honcho the new project.

honcho

/ ˈhɒntʃəʊ /

noun

1. the person in charge; the boss

verb

1. to supervise or be in charge of

Word History and Origins

Origin of honcho¹

First recorded in 1945–50; from Japanese hanchō “squad or group leader,” equivalent to han “squad” (from Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese bān “group”) + -chō “eldest, chief”

Word History and Origins

Origin of honcho¹

C20: from Japanese han'chō group leader

Example Sentences

Jassy must deal with myriad challenges as he becomes the head honcho at the No.

From TechCrunch

He was one of the head honchos for Groupon’s marketing group.

From Fortune

Who he played on Mad Men: Saint John Powell, head honcho of the British firm that takes over Sterling Cooper.

From The Daily Beast

They were also designed and manufactured by a high-end-cables company that got rolled by Dre and Interscope honcho Jimmy Iovine.

From The Daily Beast

Is it true that the more you get from the federal government, the more likely you are to reelect its head honcho?

From The Daily Beast

His business model was so impressive, he received partial financing from one-time Hollywood honcho Michael Ovitz.

From The Daily Beast

Super-PAC honcho Karl Rove urges Obama to ease up on the fundraisers—and asks Romney to show voters the private Mitt.

From The Daily Beast