mogul
noun
a bump or mound of hard snow on a ski slope.
mogul
1 American
[moh-guhl]
/ ˈmoʊ gəl /
noun
moguls
plural
Mogul
2
American
[moh-guhl, -guhl, moh-guhl]
/ ˈmoʊ gəl, -gʌl, moʊˈgʌl /
Also
Moghul,
noun
-
any of the Mongol conquerors of India who established an empire that lasted from 1526 to 1857, but held only nominal power after 1803.
-
any of their descendants.
-
(lowercase) an important, powerful, or influential person.
a mogul of the movie industry.
-
a Mongol or Mongolian.
-
Railroads. a steam locomotive having a two-wheeled front truck, six driving wheels, and no rear truck.
adjective
Mogul
1
British
/ məʊˈɡʌl, ˈməʊɡʌl /
noun
-
a member of the Muslim dynasty of Indian emperors established by Baber in 1526 See Great Mogul
-
a Muslim Indian, Mongol, or Mongolian
adjective
mogul
2
British
/ ˈməʊɡʌl, məʊˈɡʌl /
noun
-
an important or powerful person
-
a type of steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six driving wheels, and no trailing wheels
mogul
3
British
/ ˈməʊɡəl /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mogul1
1960–65; < dialectal German; compare Austrian dialect Mugel small hill
Origin of Mogul2
First recorded in 1580–90; from Persian mughul Mongol
Explanation
If you’re the type of person who likes to be in charge, you may have dreams of becoming a mogul — that is, a powerful businessperson. The word mogul can refer to any powerful person — a studio mogul is a bigwig in the movie business, for example. The Mogul (or Mughal) Dynasty conquered India in the 16th century, and remained in power for hundreds of years. As a result, the word mogul became synonymous with "leader" or "ruler." A mogul is also a bump in a ski slope, but that root word is German.
Vocabulary lists containing mogul
This Week in Words: March 2 - 8, 2019
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Born a Crime
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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.
Appeared in the June 2, 2026, print edition as 'Media Mogul, 84, Reinvents Himself Yet Again'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
Stewart is careful to frame Music Mogul AI as a supplement to human expertise, not a wholesale replacement.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
Hugh and I, and oil industry drama Mogul were recovered from privately-owned collections.
From BBC • Oct. 26, 2023
One balloon, part of Project Mogul, was designed to fly high and search over long distances for weak reverberations after a nuclear test.
From New York Times • Feb. 17, 2023
One Mogul emperor of India kept a stable of a thousand cheetahs.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
