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

Bernie Telsey, the New York casting kingpin who also oversees The Gilded Age, gave her an early break, placing her as an understudy in an Off Broadway revival of Angels in America in 2010. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2026

Hollywell approached the landlord, a 70-something weed kingpin and car repairman who ran the entire block, to buy the house with his life savings. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026

The Bureau of Prisons denied circulating reports that Combs had gotten into a fight with a prominent drug kingpin. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026

Despite capturing powerful kingpins like Macías Villamar, and deploying the military to patrol some cities, Ecuador is struggling to contain drug violence. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for kingpin

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

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