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magnate

American  
[mag-neyt, -nit] / ˈmæg neɪt, -nɪt /

noun

  1. a person of great influence, importance, or standing in a particular enterprise, field of business, etc..

    a railroad magnate.

  2. a person of eminence or distinction in any field.

    literary magnates.

  3. a member of the former upper house in either the Polish or Hungarian parliament.

magnate British  
/ ˈmæɡneɪt, -nɪt /

noun

  1. a person of power and rank in any sphere, esp in industry

  2. history a great nobleman

  3. (formerly) a member of the upper chamber in certain European parliaments, as in Hungary

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • magnateship noun

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

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.

Oodles of diplomatic energy have been expended on the unlikely relationship between the former human rights lawyer, Sir Keir Starmer and the former real estate magnate turned reality TV star, Donald Trump.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

"That's been sort of a side effect of the modern world," said Wright, a former fracking magnate.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

In the early hours of Jan. 3, energy magnate Harry Sargeant III was in bed at his waterfront Florida mansion, struggling to fall to sleep.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

The announcement comes nearly a decade after news broke of business magnate David Geffen’s record-high $150-million donation toward the construction of a new museum building to be designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026

The second was a donation of £250,000 from the automobile magnate Lord Austin, which ended the Cavendish’s poverty-row ways for good.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Definitions 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.