throne

American  

[throhn] / θroʊn /

noun

1. the chair or seat occupied by a sovereign, bishop, or other exalted personage on ceremonial occasions, usually raised on a dais and covered with a canopy.

2. the office or dignity of a sovereign.

   He came to the throne by succession.

3. the occupant of a throne; sovereign.

4. sovereign power or authority.

   to address one's pleas to the throne.

5. an episcopal office or authority.

   the diocesan throne.

6. mourners' bench.

7. thrones, an order of angels.

8. Facetious. a toilet.

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verb (used with or without object)

throned, throning

1. to sit on or as on a throne.

throne British  

/ θrəʊn /

noun

1. the ceremonial seat occupied by a monarch, bishop, etc on occasions of state

2. the power, duties, or rank ascribed to a royal person

3. a person holding royal rank

4. (plural; often capital) the third of the nine orders into which the angels are traditionally divided in medieval angelology

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verb

1. to place or be placed on a throne

throne Idioms  

1. see power behind the throne.

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Other Word Forms

• throneless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of throne

1175–1225; Middle English < Latin thronus < Greek thrónos high seat; replacing Middle English trone < Old French < Latin, as above

Explanation

The oversized, bejeweled chair on which a king or queen sits is called a throne. Monarchs — kings and queens — sit on thrones on special ceremonial occasions, and so do religious figures such as bishops and popes. You can also describe the act of naming a new monarch this way: "Queen Elizabeth II of England was throned in 1952." The word throne has its root in the Greek thronos, "chair or elevated seat." In ancient Greek mythology, Zeus was said to sit on a special heavenly seat, the Dios thronous.

Example Sentences

That appeared to pave the way for the emperor's daughter to rise to the Chrysanthemum Throne, but the birth of Prince Hisahito, the emperor's nephew, the following year silenced the debate.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Prince Baelor Targaryen, King Daeron’s eldest son and heir to the Iron Throne, is among the Targaryens who arrive in Ashford in Episode 2.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026

The heir to the Iron Throne is the only person who remembers the late hedge knight, which provides Ser Duncan the recognition he needs to enter the tournament.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026

Canada's House of Commons and Senate cannot conduct any public business before the Speech from the Throne is made.

From BBC • May 27, 2025

Lord Tywin had laid the bodies beneath the Iron Throne, wrapped in the crimson cloaks of his house guard.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin