tycoon
Americannoun
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a person of great wealth, influence, or power; magnate.
a business tycoon; a political tycoon.
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(often initial capital letter) a title used with reference to the shogun of Japan.
noun
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a business man of great wealth and power
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an archaic name for a shogun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing tycoon
Outliers
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This Week In Words: August 30–September 4, 2020
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From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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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.
Hui Ka Yan, the disgraced Chinese real-estate tycoon who once ranked among the world’s richest men, pleaded guilty to charges of financial misconduct and bribery last week.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
Besides Vance, Trump sent his usual emissaries, fellow real-estate tycoon Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
In doing so, the tech tycoon broke with the company's previous approach of prioritizing development of free, open-access AI models such as Llama.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
Clement did indeed mention the man then known as a real estate tycoon and reality-TV host, however.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
And the newspaper tycoon says that the architect is a very cold man.
From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
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.
