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high muckamuck

(North America, colloquial) A person in a position of power, authority, or status.

ˈhaɪ məˈkʌmək188 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
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#1·Apr 27, 2026

(North America, colloquial) A person in a position of power, authority, or status.

He would become well when he reformed his eating habits and submitted himself to the regimen prescribed by Dr. John HArvey Kellogg and the high muckamucks of health.
Origin: From plenty of food. Compare muckamuck. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

"high muckamuck" means: A person in a position of power, authority, or status.. There is a drug-related reference, so this is one worth noticing without overreacting. Many teens encounter such vocabulary through music, film and friends without any direct involvement. A neutral, curious conversation about where they heard the term and what they understand by it is far more useful than a confrontation. Watch for repeated context, not a single word.

For ESL learners

"high muckamuck" means: A person in a position of power, authority, or status.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.

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For specific readers

"high muckamuck" means: A person in a position of power, authority, or status.. There is a drug-related reference, so this is one worth noticing without overreacting. Many teens encounter such vocabulary through music, film and friends without any direct involvement. A neutral, curious conversation about where they heard the term and what they understand by it is far more useful than a confrontation. Watch for repeated context, not a single word.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

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🗺️About Regional & Other slang

Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.

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