nabob

[ ney-bob ]
See synonyms for nabob on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any very wealthy, influential, or powerful person.

  2. Also nawab. a person, especially a European, who has made a large fortune in India or another country of the East.

Origin of nabob

1
From the Hindi word nawāb, dating back to 1605–15. See nawab

Other words from nabob

  • na·bob·er·y [ney-bob-uh-ree, ney-bob-uh-ree], /ˈneɪ bɒb ə ri, neɪˈbɒb ə ri/, na·bob·ism, noun
  • na·bob·ish, na·bob·i·cal, adjective
  • na·bob·ish·ly, na·bob·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • na·bob·ship, noun

Words Nearby nabob

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nabob in a sentence

  • One nabob even seems to have commandeered the challenge to reignite an old grudge.

  • She had made up her mind that at the first sign of danger she would turn nabob and make a dash back down the trail for safety.

  • Yet a caveat is needed, for the intense interest we take in the characters of a novel like The nabob scarcely suggests strolling.

    The Nabob | Alphonse Daudet
  • Naturally an elaborate novel like The nabob lends itself indefinitely to minute comment, but we must be sparing of it.

    The Nabob | Alphonse Daudet
  • From time to time he would throw to the nabob across the table a few words enigmatical for all.

    The Nabob | Alphonse Daudet
  • Say one word, and I take you to see the nabob, the great-hearted man who defrays the expense of our undertaking.

    The Nabob | Alphonse Daudet

British Dictionary definitions for nabob

nabob

/ (ˈneɪbɒb) /


noun
  1. informal a rich, powerful, or important man

  2. (formerly) a European who made a fortune in the Orient, esp in India

  1. another name for a nawab

Origin of nabob

1
C17: from Portuguese nababo, from Hindi nawwāb; see nawab

Derived forms of nabob

  • nabobery (ˈneɪbɒbərɪ, neɪˈbɒbərɪ) or nabobism, noun
  • nabobish, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012