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

All the candidates were backed by New York City’s socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who is a protégé of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the new kingmaker in the party. — Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 25 June 2026

Avila Chevalier was backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a fellow democratic socialist who was a kingmaker on Tuesday night, with all three of his progressive picks winning their races. — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 24 June 2026

And so, for five weeks, the Makerfield constituency, a set of small former coal-mining towns on the outskirts of Manchester, northwest England, has become the nation’s kingmaker. — Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 19 June 2026

Cynical congressional map dilutes Black voting power to target a kingmaker. — Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 15 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kingmaker

• blackacre
• caretaker
• clockmaker
• dressmaker
• filmmaker
• homemaker
• icebreaker
• lawmaker
• matchmaker
• pacemaker
• partaker
• peacemaker