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 America grapples with physician shortages, rising healthcare costs and an epidemic of chronic disease, policymakers continue searching for ways to improve access to care. — Joel Zive, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026

The stakes are high for monetary policymakers, as a weaker greenback can ease financial conditions, Shah said. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026

By the mid-1990s unemployment had fallen below what policymakers then regarded as its natural rate, and pressure was building inside the Fed to tighten. — Joao Gomes, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Even without a national EPR policy, more consistent goals, targets and design incentives across states could help policymakers better unlock the full potential of these laws. — Erin Victor, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 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