policymaker

noun

pol·​i·​cy·​mak·​er ˈpä-lə-sē-ˌmā-kər 

variants or less commonly policy maker or policy-maker

plural policymakers also policy makers or policy-makers

: someone who is responsible for or involved in establishing policy

economic policymakers

He had been a policymaker under four Republican and Democratic Presidents and had spent years on Capitol Hill fencing with congressional committees and lobbying for votes.

—William Greider

Examples of policymaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As demand continues to grow, state policymakers should remain committed to expanding quality school choice options so every student has the opportunity to thrive. —Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026

As for what policymakers can do to bring home prices down, Fairweather and other industry economists have emphasized the need to increase supply. —Max Rego, The Hill, 19 Apr. 2026

Now they are also being asked to absorb an energy transition that policymakers promised would be painless. —Nicole Malliotakis, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026

But for all that rhetoric, policymakers don’t seem to feel the urgency of a major weakness at home. —Dan Romito, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for policymaker

• automaker
• boilermaker
• cabinetmaker
• coffeemaker
• troublemaker
• undertaker
• blackacre
• caretaker
• clockmaker
• dressmaker
• filmmaker
• homemaker