policymaker

noun

pol·​i·​cy·​mak·​er ˈpä-lə-sē-ˌmā-kər 

variants or less commonly policy maker or policy-maker

plural policymakers also policy makers or policy-makers

: someone who is responsible for or involved in establishing policy

economic policymakers

He had been a policymaker under four Republican and Democratic Presidents and had spent years on Capitol Hill fencing with congressional committees and lobbying for votes.

—William Greider

Examples of policymaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the paper credits much of the shift to Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s ambassador to the US since 2008, who cultivated politicians, policymakers, universities, and the media while encouraging influential Americans to visit the Emirates. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026

TikTok and the government in Beijing have rejected claims by US policymakers that users’ data could be exploited and that the app could be used by China to push certain narratives or sow disinformation. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

Clinicians and patients who struggle through this interim process may become less inclined to advocate for its expansion, while policymakers may see lower uptake as a sign of limited demand rather than evidence of operational shortcomings. — Jeffrey Millstein, STAT, 11 Aug. 2026

Campaigners have called on policymakers to impose higher taxes on energy majors to help fund climate-resilient infrastructure, such as fire and flood defenses. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for policymaker

• automaker
• boilermaker
• cabinetmaker
• coffeemaker
• troublemaker
• undertaker
• blackacre
• caretaker
• clockmaker
• dressmaker
• filmmaker
• homemaker