kingmaker

noun

king·​mak·​er ˈkiŋ-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce kingmaker (audio)
: one having great influence over the choice of candidates for political office

Examples of kingmaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Though polling in third place overall, Chega could serve as a kingmaker for a conservative coalition — or frustrate efforts to form a government by parties that refuse to partner with it. Catarina Fernandes Martins, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 That’s an outcome that Murdoch, the billionaire media mogul and one-time Republican kingmaker who controls Fox News, had hoped to avoid. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 South Carolina has historically served as a kingmaker for GOP primaries. Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 6 Feb. 2024 Vander Plaats has supported the last three winners of the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential contests and is considered a kingmaker in Iowa. Samantha-Jo Roth, Washington Examiner, 15 Jan. 2024 That likely sets up the TPP, with 8 seats, as the kingmakers. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 13 Jan. 2024 New Hampshire's governor turned himself into a potential kingmaker in his state. Kelsey Walsh, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2023 Poland’s far-right Confederation Party could be kingmaker if neither of the bigger parties gets a majority. Chris Massaro, Fox News, 14 Oct. 2023 In New Zealand, neither party is expected to win enough seats to form a government outright, which means nationalist NZ First party and its leader Winston Peters could potentially become kingmaker in a coalition administration. Helen Regan, CNN, 13 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kingmaker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kingmaker was in 1595

Dictionary Entries Near kingmaker

Cite this Entry

“Kingmaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kingmaker. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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