ringleader
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of ringleader
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.
China called on Thursday for criminal associates of accused scam boss Chen Zhi to surrender voluntarily in return for lighter sentences, after their alleged ringleader was extradited from Cambodia.
From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026
Chen Zhi, the alleged ringleader of one of Asia’s largest scam conglomerates, was arrested in Cambodia and extradited to China, the Cambodian government said Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026
Investigators first became suspicious when the septuagenarian ringleader attempted to sell two supposedly original paintings by Picasso on the art market.
From BBC • Oct. 24, 2025
Teddy, the ringleader, is sure he can prove it.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2025
He knows what he must do: He must keep the attention of the justices, he must convince them that he was the ringleader, that Karl and Rudi and Düwer were simply followers, no matter what.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
