tycoon
Americannoun
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tycoons
plural
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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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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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.
See Examples For:
The real estate tycoon appears increasingly obsessed by his construction projects at the White House, such as his new ballroom and helipad.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
His former girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones lodged civil complaints against the music tycoon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 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
Turning products like Etch A Sketch, Super Soaker and Hungry Hungry Hippos into working miniatures has made Alan Dorfman a toy tycoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
And the newspaper tycoon says that the architect is a very cold man.
From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
Musk’s trillioniare status means he’s wealthier than his next three contemporaries combined — and also worth more than historical tycoons like John D. Rockefeller.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
For this is the fate of technology tycoons down through history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Global tycoons looked to city real estate as a glamorous safe haven for money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
And apart from Chen Zhi, none of the tycoons accused of hosting the compounds behind their casinos has yet been touched.
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2026
Staring out to sea, tobacco farmers imagined themselves as race car drivers, silk dyers as Wall Street tycoons, millinery girls as fan dancers in the Ziegftid Follies.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
