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 with General Electric—a once-prolific CEO factory whose dominance has since waned—the question now is whether McKinsey’s golden age as a corporate kingmaker can endure, especially as artificial intelligence reshapes the very foundation of consulting. —Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2025

Costa seeks a deeper understanding of the wave of Pentecostalism that is reshaping the country—and particularly of the relationship between Bolsonaro and his spiritual kingmaker, a sixty-six-year-old pastor named Silas Malafaia. —Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025

One-time Republican kingmaker and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Cybertruck electric vehicles were torched in March. —Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025

Yet some of the most pivotal contests remain untouched, a calculated silence that underscores his political strategy and his continued role as the GOP’s ultimate kingmaker. —Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2025

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