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

Jordan appeared in 13 gritty episodes of The Wire's debut season as Wallace, a young, naive drug dealer who works for kingpin Stringer Bell (Idris Elba). —Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026

Birdville aims to take down 5A kingpin With just about 10 seconds left in a Class 5A Division I regional final, Birdville’s Avery Webb stepped back for what could be the highest stakes shot of the UIL Texas high school basketball season. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Mar. 2026

But De La Cruz cautioned that removing a cartel kingpin does not dismantle the organization. —Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 8 Mar. 2026

The legislation also ignores the reality that as the kingpins in the SEC and Big Ten have gotten really rich, the other leagues have seen healthy returns and profits as well at roughly the same pace. —Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 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