nabob
Americannoun
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any very wealthy, influential, or powerful person.
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Also a person, especially a European, who has made a large fortune in India or another country of the East.
noun
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informal a rich, powerful, or important man
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(formerly) a European who made a fortune in the Orient, esp in India
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another name for a nawab
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nabob
From the Hindi word nawāb, dating back to 1605–15. See nawab
Vocabulary lists containing nabob
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.
His work quickly made him controversial among civic boosters, who dismissed him as a negative nabob who didn’t want the city to thrive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2025
This doesn’t sound like a con artist or a relentlessly negative nabob.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 22, 2021
In 1992 Manchester City was owned by the Football Association nabob and hi-fi entrepreneur Peter Swales.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 29, 2017
Jaffrey starred in his first major Indian film two years later, appearing as a chess-obsessed nabob in The Chess Players, which also featured Richard Attenborough as a British general.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2015
He was not a taking person as you say, Louisa, but he was the nabob of the place.
From Graham's Magazine Vol XXXIII No. 5 November 1848 by Various
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
