kingpin

noun

king·​pin ˈkiŋ-ˌpin 

1

: the chief person in a group or undertaking

2

: any of several bowling pins: such as

a

: headpin

b

: the pin that stands in the middle of a triangular arrangement of bowling pins

3

a

: kingbolt

b

: a pin connecting the two parts of a knuckle joint (as in an automobile steering linkage)

Synonyms of kingpin

• heavyweight
• heavy
• big
• magnate
• tycoon

Examples of kingpin in a Sentence

kingpins of the movie industry

a police sting that nabbed several kingpins of the city's drug trade

Recent Examples on the Web

The catch is that the proposal would require Madison Square Garden, which currently sits atop Penn Station, to be moved elsewhere — a proposition MSG kingpin James Dolan has repeatedly dismissed. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026

Fakroune is accused of posing as Angelino Escobar, the son of the famed Columbian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, and lying to people about his connections to nonexistent Italian mafiosos to ensure payback on his loans. —Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026

Riffing on classic mafia films, Sunny follows a female gangster who fights to protect her sons — and herself — from an abusive drug kingpin. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026

Though Miguel is shot in the leg during the surprise attack, Tommy and his men come out on top, and Jenard's team abandons him to work for Chicago's new kingpin. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for kingpin

• akin
• auxin
• buckskin
• chagrin
• deerskin
• foreskin
• fuchsin
• herein
• linchpin
• pigskin
• pinyin
• puffin

Kids Definition

kingpin

noun

king·​pin ˈkiŋ-ˌpin 

1

: a pin that stands in the middle of a triangular arrangement of bowling pins

also : headpin

2

: the chief person in a group or undertaking