tycoon

American  

[tahy-koon] / taɪˈkun /

noun

• tycoons
  plural

1. 

   a person of great wealth, influence, or power; magnate.

   a business tycoon; a political tycoon.

2. (often initial capital letter) a title used with reference to the shogun of Japan.

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tycoon British  

/ taɪˈkuːn /

noun

1. a business man of great wealth and power

2. an archaic name for a shogun

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tycoon Cultural  

1. Someone who has made a fortune in business, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tycoons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tycoon

1855–60; < Japanese taikun < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese dà great + jūn prince

Explanation

If you are meeting with someone who is considered a tycoon in his industry, keep in mind that he is very successful and probably accustomed to high-stakes negotiations. Tycoon is derived from the Japanese word taikun, which means “great lord or prince.” This noun made its way to the West in the mid-19th century and originally referred to the shogun, or military leader, of Japan. It was also used in reference to Abraham Lincoln to indicate that he was an important man. Now, tycoons are generally understood to be unusually successful heads of business or industry.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tycoon tycoons

The tycoon had two young children with his first wife Sonja Madzikanda, from whom he split in 2024 and was still embroiled in a messy court case over the divorce settlement.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Charting an American immigrant's rise from messenger boy to corporate tycoon, it was inspired, in part, by his own financial problems and did much to solve them.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Then there’s Cruise’s nearly unrecognizable performance as Digger Rockwell, an eccentric oil tycoon whose drilling operations have led to the unfolding climate disaster.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

But within less than half a year it has become the chosen location for Africa's second-biggest oil refinery, being built by Nigerian tycoon Aliko Dangote.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

The architect replies that if the boat were sinking, and there was only room in the lifeboat for one person, he would gladly give up his life for the newspaper tycoon.

From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

Over the last decade, preservation has become a focal point in Broad Beach, a hyper-exclusive enclave where celebrities and business tycoons spend tens of millions of dollars for homes right on the water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

But the prosecution failed to provide evidence she awarded contracts to any of the oil tycoons named because of bribes.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

Henry Ford described Five-Dollar Day in terms rarely used by industrial tycoons.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

Lore goes that when Alec Guinness received the “Coronets” script with an offer to play four of the ill-fated tycoons, he wrote back greedily and said, “Why not eight?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026

He is dressed in white shorts and a white shirt, an outfit which makes him look like a boy...a good boy...the only son of monied, unloving tycoons.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• boss
• capitalist
• entrepreneur
• executive
• financier
• investor
• magnate
• mogul