Standard Lemma guide

honcho

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ˈhɑn.t͡ʃoʊ/
  • US: hŏnʹchō
  • UK: /ˈhɒn.tʃəʊ/
  • UK: hŏnʹchō
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒntʃəʊ
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AO1 N CH OW0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Boss, leader.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To lead or manage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US, informal, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a person who exercises control over workers

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • if you want to leave early you have to ask the foreman

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: foreman, chief, gaffer, boss

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: supervisor

Narrower terms: baas, ganger, straw boss, assistant foreman

History

Etymology

From Japanese 班(はん)長(ちょう) (hanchō, “squad leader”), from 19th c. Mandarin 班長 /班长 (bānzhǎng, “team leader”). Probably entered English during World War II: many apocryphal stories describe American soldiers hearing Japanese prisoners-of-war refer to their lieutenants as hanchō.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 班長 /班长 (bānzhǎng) — boss, leader
  • German: Chef — boss, leader
  • German: Boss — boss, leader
  • German: Oberguru — boss, leader
  • Japanese: 班長 (hanchō) — boss, leader
  • Korean: 반장 (banjang) — boss, leader
  • Macedonian: главуч (glavuč) — boss, leader