kingmaker
noun
king·mak·er
ˈkiŋ-ˌmā-kər 
: one having great influence over the choice of candidates for political office
Examples of kingmaker in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As a member of Parliament, Mr. Zuma would be eligible to be president, or could play kingmaker if the A.N.C. does not win enough seats to form a government — as many political analysts anticipate.
—
Lynsey Chutel, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Wilders recently abandoned his bid to become prime minister, but still has the power to be a political kingmaker, and all three of the parties likely to have seats in the next government campaigned on anti-migrant platforms.
—Bysarah Jacob, Fortune Europe, 27 Mar. 2024
The event served a dual purpose of exciting the grassroots to vote before Tuesday and reminding the broader electorate of who won the support of the GOP kingmaker.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
And for onscreen talent, Schneider was a kingmaker, the one who decided who became a star, including Amanda Bynes, and who would have their lines or even character roles cut from a series.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
The book club swiftly became a literary kingmaker (or queenmaker, usually).
—Ellie Austin, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024
But Kish’s addition to this cooking competition turned culinary kingmaker does a lot to dull any post-Padma shock.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024
Last weekend, fledgling radical right Chega party enjoyed a late surge in Portugal’s elections which could make it into a potential kingmaker.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
Last month, former prime minister and ruling party kingmaker Taro Aso was criticized over what were considered insulting and sexist comments about the foreign minister’s appearance and age.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Quartz, 22 Feb. 2024
Lynsey Chutel, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Wilders recently abandoned his bid to become prime minister, but still has the power to be a political kingmaker, and all three of the parties likely to have seats in the next government campaigned on anti-migrant platforms.
—Bysarah Jacob, Fortune Europe, 27 Mar. 2024
The event served a dual purpose of exciting the grassroots to vote before Tuesday and reminding the broader electorate of who won the support of the GOP kingmaker.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
And for onscreen talent, Schneider was a kingmaker, the one who decided who became a star, including Amanda Bynes, and who would have their lines or even character roles cut from a series.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
The book club swiftly became a literary kingmaker (or queenmaker, usually).
—Ellie Austin, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024
But Kish’s addition to this cooking competition turned culinary kingmaker does a lot to dull any post-Padma shock.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024
Last weekend, fledgling radical right Chega party enjoyed a late surge in Portugal’s elections which could make it into a potential kingmaker.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
Last month, former prime minister and ruling party kingmaker Taro Aso was criticized over what were considered insulting and sexist comments about the foreign minister’s appearance and age.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Quartz, 22 Feb. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near kingmaker
Cite this Entry
“Kingmaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kingmaker. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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