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
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Bit by bit, the conservative kingmaker’s former friends began dismantling his life’s political work.
—
Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
The Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties with close ties to Iran and which acts as the kingmaker for the premiership, reportedly could not choose between the two candidates and left it to them to decide.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
The mayor has tried his hand at playing kingmaker both in local and congressional races in the early days of his term.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2026
The enduring alliance between the bazaaris and Iran’s Shiite Muslim clergy gave the shopkeepers a crucial role as kingmakers across Iran’s recent history.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
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Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
The Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties with close ties to Iran and which acts as the kingmaker for the premiership, reportedly could not choose between the two candidates and left it to them to decide.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
The mayor has tried his hand at playing kingmaker both in local and congressional races in the early days of his term.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2026
The enduring alliance between the bazaaris and Iran’s Shiite Muslim clergy gave the shopkeepers a crucial role as kingmakers across Iran’s recent history.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kingmaker
Cite this Entry
“Kingmaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kingmaker. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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