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Synonyms

who's who

American  

noun

  1. a reference work containing short biographical entries on the outstanding persons in a country, industry, profession, etc..

    a who's who in automotive engineering.

  2. the outstanding or influential persons in a community, industry, profession, or other group.

    The who's who of racing will be there.
who's who British  

noun

  1. a book or list containing the names and short biographies of famous people

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
who's who Idioms  

  1. The outstanding or best-known individuals of a group, as in Tonight's concert features a veritable who's who of musicians. This expression comes from the name of a famous reference work, Who's Who, first published in 1849, which contains biographical sketches of famous individuals and is regularly updated. Its name in turn was based on who is who, that is, the identity of each of a number of persons, a phrase dating from the late 1300s. [Early 1900s]

Etymology

Origin of who's who

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"He knows my players, he's well aware of who's who, and some of them still can't get their head around that when I tell them."

From Barron's

As for the presenters, it's a who's who of famous names, led by none other than Paddington Bear.

From BBC

He also quipped: "I've compiled everyone who works at my local takeaway pizza place into a book. It's my Domino's Who's Who."

From BBC

Dunkin’ and endorser Ben Affleck, meanwhile, generated more engagement than any other celebrity spot by casting its “Good Will Hunting” parody with a who’s who of hit ’90s sitcoms including “Friends,” “Seinfeld” and “Family Matters.”

From The Wall Street Journal

A who's who of stars are set to appear, including multiple Grammy Award winner Mariah Carey and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.