honcho

Also found in: Thesaurus, Financial, Idioms, Wikipedia.

hon·cho

(hŏn′chō) Slang

n. pl. hon·chos

A person who is in charge; a manager or leader: "Now that Hollywood honchos have discovered the verdant beachfront villages, the stores have grown in scope and sophistication" (David Field).

tr.v. hon·choed, hon·cho·ing, hon·chos

To direct or manage: "He ... is honchoing preparations for the forthcoming ... economic summit" (Newsweek).

[Japanese hanchō, squad leader : han, squad (from Middle Chinese pa⋮n, division, class; also the source of Mandarin bān) + chō, chief (from Middle Chinese triaŋ´; also the source of Mandarin zhǎng).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

honcho

(ˈhɒntʃəʊ)

n, pl -chos

the person in charge; the boss

to supervise or be in charge of

[C20: from Japanese han'chō group leader]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hon•cho

(ˈhɒn tʃoʊ)

n., pl. -chos, Slang. n.

1. a leader, esp. an assertive leader; boss; chief.

2. an important or influential person; bigshot.

v.t.

3. to organize, supervise, or be the leader of.

[1945–50; < Japanese hanchō squad or group leader =han squad (< Middle Chinese, = Chinese bān) + -chō eldest, chief (< Middle Chinese, = Chinese zhǎng)]

honcho

Past participle: honchoed
Gerund: honchoing

Imperative
honcho
honcho

Present
I honcho
you honcho
he/she/it honchoes
we honcho
you honcho
they honcho

Preterite
I honchoed
you honchoed
he/she/it honchoed
we honchoed
you honchoed
they honchoed

Present Continuous
I am honchoing
you are honchoing
he/she/it is honchoing
we are honchoing
you are honchoing
they are honchoing

Present Perfect
I have honchoed
you have honchoed
he/she/it has honchoed
we have honchoed
you have honchoed
they have honchoed

Past Continuous
I was honchoing
you were honchoing
he/she/it was honchoing
we were honchoing
you were honchoing
they were honchoing

Past Perfect
I had honchoed
you had honchoed
he/she/it had honchoed
we had honchoed
you had honchoed
they had honchoed

Future
I will honcho
you will honcho
he/she/it will honcho
we will honcho
you will honcho
they will honcho

Future Perfect
I will have honchoed
you will have honchoed
he/she/it will have honchoed
we will have honchoed
you will have honchoed
they will have honchoed

Future Continuous
I will be honchoing
you will be honchoing
he/she/it will be honchoing
we will be honchoing
you will be honchoing
they will be honchoing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been honchoing
you have been honchoing
he/she/it has been honchoing
we have been honchoing
you have been honchoing
they have been honchoing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been honchoing
you will have been honchoing
he/she/it will have been honchoing
we will have been honchoing
you will have been honchoing
they will have been honchoing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been honchoing
you had been honchoing
he/she/it had been honchoing
we had been honchoing
you had been honchoing
they had been honchoing

Conditional
I would honcho
you would honcho
he/she/it would honcho
we would honcho
you would honcho
they would honcho

Past Conditional
I would have honchoed
you would have honchoed
he/she/it would have honchoed
we would have honchoed
you would have honchoed
they would have honchoed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

honcho - a person who exercises control over workers; "if you want to leave early you have to ask the foreman"

boss, foreman, chief, gaffer

baas - South African term for `boss'

ganger - the foreman of a work gang

assistant foreman, straw boss - a member of a work gang who supervises the other workers

supervisor - one who supervises or has charge and direction of

honcho

noun

Slang. One who is highest in rank or authority:

boss, chief, chieftain, director, head, headman, hierarch, leader, master.

Idiom: cock of the walk.

Translations

honcho

n (inf) → Boss m (inf); head honcho → Oberboss m (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

Honcho's reverse auction site allows insurance companies to bid for their customer's business, meaning app users will receive a competitive quote.

Cash boost ensures app is rolled out

Failings of BBC radio service A few weeks ago Radio Wales' Chief Honcho told us his station was, after thirty years of waiting, going to be broadcast on FM to large parts of the north east and mid Wales, the lack of FM coverage of large parts of Wales landmass and population having been a scandal for years.

Failings of BBC radio service; LETTERS

Hidden Honcho, an initiative run by Business in the Community, placed the managing director of PR and marketing firm Paver Smith, Dougal Paver, with Safe Productions.

Honcho builds on creative successes; Partnership aids pounds 1.5m plan

Loyal Honcho, winner of Saturday's Blue Square Greyhound Derby at Wimbledon, will go for a Derby double later this year.

THE HEAD HONCHO; GREYHOUND DERBY FINAL: STAND FOR LOYAL TOAST

Real Estate recently brokered a five-year, 1,880 s/ft lease at 111 Broadway for Big Honcho Media, one of the nation's premier marketing firms for entertainment and media companies.

Big Honcho on the move

references to race--was presented as being head honcho of

It's not just a movie

Durham-based Honcho, described as the UK's first 'reverse auction' marketplace for car insurance, has already predicted first-year turnover of PS600,000 and PS12m within three years, before its official launch.

Car insurance app firm is ready to go up a gear

Last year's runner-up Loyal Honcho (4-1) led all the way in the second semi, beating Blonde Dino by just over three lengths.