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Synonyms

kingmaker

American  
[king-mey-ker] / ˈkɪŋˌmeɪ kər /

noun

  1. a person who has great power and influence in the choice of a ruler, candidate for public office, business leader, or the like.

kingmaker British  
/ ˈkɪŋˌmeɪkə /

noun

  1. a person who has control over appointments to positions of authority

"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

Other Word Forms

  • kingmaking noun

Etymology

Origin of kingmaker

First recorded in 1590–1600; king + maker

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.

But with a nudge from Rafsanjani, the kingmaker, he was picked by the Assembly of Experts as the new leader.

From The Wall Street Journal

Radio’s role as kingmaker was superseded, first by streaming services and then by TikTok.

From The Wall Street Journal

Her trajectory from New York Times opinion editor to Substack entrepreneur to apparent kingmaker within a legacy media institution perfectly encapsulates how we have confused platform with expertise and audience with authority.

From Salon

No longer will he be the king, much less the kingmaker — and he cannot stand the idea of being irrelevant.

From Salon

Guralnick’s new book is the story of an immigrant scrapper who became a kingmaker with his unerring instinct for the main chance.

From Los Angeles Times

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.