magnate
Americannoun
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magnates
plural
-
a person of great influence, importance, or standing in a particular enterprise, field of business, etc..
a railroad magnate.
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a person of eminence or distinction in any field.
literary magnates.
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a member of the former upper house in either the Polish or Hungarian parliament.
noun
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a person of power and rank in any sphere, esp in industry
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history a great nobleman
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(formerly) a member of the upper chamber in certain European parliaments, as in Hungary
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of magnate
1400–50; back formation from Middle English magnates (plural) < Late Latin magnātēs leading people, equivalent to Latin magn ( us ) magn- + -ātēs, plural of -ās noun suffix
Explanation
If you’re a hugely successful businessperson, particularly if you’ve cornered the market in a specific area, you’re a magnate. Magnates are often larger-than-life characters, like that oil tycoon who wears a cowboy hat with his tuxedo. Historically, a magnate was a man of noble birth (from the Latin magnus, meaning "a nobleman," or at least someone distinguished by his achievements. In the twentieth century, the stock of a magnate has rather fallen. If you’re vulgar and loud-spoken as well as rich, you’re probably a magnate. Thanks to the legendary movie producer Samuel Goldwyn, all film studio heads are now "studio magnates."
Vocabulary lists containing magnate
That's Great!: Magn
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Hidden Figures
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A Room of One's Own
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
On Thursday, the holding company of construction magnate Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone, which holds 13.5 percent, said it would oppose a rival plan that has been put forward by MPS management.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Financed by Walter Chrysler, the motor magnate, the skyscraper's construction began in 1928 and was completed two years later.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Owner Matt Ellis is without doubt the lead character, having come in as a fan but also an incredibly wealthy and successful kitchen magnate.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Hotel magnate Conrad Hilton bought the property in 1950.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
In New York, the sisters arranged a magnetic healing session with multimillionaire financier and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
But I’ve tackled enough of it to inform you that, sadly, ignoring Charles Schwab or J. P. Morgan Chase will not make the ghosts of these greedy American business magnates go away.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2026
Greek shipping companies collectively control the world’s biggest tanker fleet, giving magnates such as Prokopiou a powerful role in the oil market and access in Washington, D.C.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
It is, by design, capable of confronting not merely individual wrongdoers but vast criminal networks and incalculably rich corporations and commercial magnates.
From Slate ● Nov. 20, 2024
Also left unsaid: how many people will assist the two magnates and how that staff will be paid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2024
As Lawrence rose in professional esteem, his social circle came to encompass the banking and oil magnates who had become his financial patrons.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
