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

Derived 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

But maybe most of all, it was a coronation of sorts — for 43-year-old German percussionist Anika Nilles, sitting on Peart’s throne.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

Football is littered with any number of former pretenders to the Messi throne, all of whom have achieved and suffered varying degrees of success and adversity.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Mr. Naismith, a professor of medieval history at Cambridge University, notes that he came to the throne “under murky circumstances.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

The property empire spans 128,000 acres across 19 counties and is given to the heir of the throne but there has been a push for a greater focus on "social impact".

From BBC • May 18, 2026

What better fate for Julian than someday being the power behind the Suaori throne, than transforming his pupil into a philosopher-king?

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt