kingmaker

noun

king·​mak·​er ˈkiŋ-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce kingmaker (audio)
: one having great influence over the choice of candidates for political office

Examples of kingmaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The one-time Hollywood kingmaker is yet to be sentenced by Farber for his 2025 conviction and could face a term of up to 25 years. Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026 The one-time Hollywood kingmaker is yet to be sentenced by Farber for his 2025 conviction and could face a term of up to 25 years. Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for kingmaker

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kingmaker was in 1595

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Cite this Entry

“Kingmaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kingmaker. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.

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