A relic of the large U.S. presence in Japan in the years following World War II, the word honcho comes from the Japanese word hanchō meaning “leader of the squad, section, group.” We are uncertain of the exact route by which honcho found its way into American military argot in the mid-1950s, though it is known that the Japanese applied hanchō to British or Australian officers in charge of work parties in prisoner-of-war camps. By the 1960s, the word had become part of colloquial American jargon.
the office was all abuzz because some honchos from corporate headquarters were coming for a visit
he's definitely the head honcho in that company
Recent Examples on the WebAdditionally, if all that wasn’t enough, Dior has partnered with PR honcho Albane Cleret’s Terrasse by Albane lounge and set up shop on the JW Marriott hotel rooftop where celebrities also can go for personalized treatments.—Allyson Portee, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024 Relative restraint might be a pretty good look on these Mets, who essentially bought prospects in trading Scherzer and Verlander and launching, at long last, an organizational reboot under, finally, a permanent baseball ops honcho in David Stearns.—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 4 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for honcho
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Word History
Etymology
Japanese hanchō squad leader, from han squad + chō head, chief
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