From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbaronbar‧on /ˈbærən/ noun [countable] 1 PGa man who is a member of a low rank of the British nobility or of a rank of European nobility2 BPOWERa businessman with a lot of power or influence drug barons conservative press barons like Beaverbrook → robber baron
Examples from the Corpus
baron• The drinking public was now aware they were being taken for a ride by the brewing barons.• Colombian drug barons• media baron Rupert Murdoch• Audley senior was a minor baron, with lands in Gloucestershire as well as Oxfordshire and a long record of service to the Crown.• Hariri is not the first political baron to have risen without the benefit of family connections.• Over 60 descendants of the rubber barons, who continued exploiting the inhabitants, have been forced to leave.• I am the baron de Chavigny.• Henry took the homage of the barons and knights of La Marche and then returned to Angers to celebrate Christmas.• Indeed when Richard marched against Angoulême he made this move after taking counsel with the barons of Poitou.drug barons• Doctors and accountants are one thing; husbands on the brink of divorce or even drug barons close to capture are another.• We pour another glass and vent our spleen on drug barons and dope fiends.• There's little hope in this film - the forces of law are as bad in their way as the drug barons.• Orders to kill are still issued by the drug barons.• The drug barons have themselves become substantial land holders, effectively controlling several departments.• The drugs barons often win the support of the poor because they provide the means for entire communities to make a living.From Longman Business Dictionarybaronbar‧on /ˈbærən/ noun [countable] journalism1FINANCE a business person who is in charge of a large industrial or financial organizationan oil baron2LAWa powerful criminal who is in charge of a large group of drug producers or smugglersA British-born drugs baron was jailed for 15 years yesterday.Origin baron (1100-1200) Old French 