a male sovereign or monarch; a man who holds by life tenure, and usually by hereditary right, the chief authority over a country and people.
(initial capital letter) God or Christ.
a person or thing preeminent in its class.
a king of actors.
a playing card bearing a picture of a king.
Chess. the chief piece of each color, whose checkmating is the object of the game; moved one square at a time in any direction.
Checkers. a piece that has been moved entirely across the board and has been crowned, thus allowing it to be moved in any direction.
Entomology. a fertile male termite.
a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter K.
to make a king of; cause to be or become a king; crown.
Informal. to design or make (a product) king-size.
The tobacco company is going to king its cigarettes.
Billie Jean (Moffitt) born 1943, U.S. tennis player.
Clarence, 1842–1901, U.S. geologist and cartographer.
Coretta Scott 1927–2006, U.S. civil rights leader (widow of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Ernest Joseph, 1878–1956, U.S. naval officer.
Martin Luther, Jr., MLK, 1929–68, U.S. Baptist minister: civil rights leader; Nobel Peace Prize 1964.
Maxine Micki, born 1944, U.S. springboard and platform diver.
Richard, 1825–85, U.S. rancher and steamboat operator.
Riley B. B.B., 1925–2015, U.S. blues singer and guitarist.
Rufus, 1755–1827, U.S. political leader and statesman.
Stephen, born 1947, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
William Lyon Mackenzie, 1874–1950, Canadian statesman: prime minister 1921–26, 1926–30, 1935–48.
William Rufus DeVane 1786–1853, vice president of the U.S. 1853.
a male sovereign prince who is the official ruler of an independent state; monarch
a ruler or chief
king of the fairies
( in combination )
the pirate king
a person, animal, or thing considered as the best or most important of its kind
( as modifier )
a king bull
any of four playing cards in a pack, one for each suit, bearing the picture of a king
the most important chess piece, although theoretically the weakest, being able to move only one square at a time in any direction See also check checkmate
draughts a piece that has moved entirely across the board and has been crowned, after which it may move backwards as well as forwards
God
a title of any of various oriental monarchs
to make (someone) a king
to act in a superior fashion
B.B., real name Riley B. King. born 1925, US blues singer and guitarist
Billie Jean (née Moffitt ). born 1943, US tennis player: winner of twelve Grand Slam singles titles, including Wimbledon (1966–68, 1972–73, and 1975) and the US Open (1967, 1971–72, and 1974)
Martin Luther. 1929–68, US Baptist minister and civil-rights leader. He advocated nonviolence in his campaigns against the segregation of Black people in the South: assassinated: Nobel Peace Prize 1964
Stephen ( Edwin ). born 1947, US writer esp of horror novels; his books, many of which have been filmed, include Carrie (1974), The Shining (1977), Misery (1988), and Everything's Eventual (2002)
William Lyon Mackenzie. 1874–1950, Canadian Liberal statesman; prime minister (1921–26; 1926–30; 1935–48)
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cyng, cyni(n)g; cognate with German König, Dutch koning, Old Norse konungr, Swedish konung, Danish konge; equivalent to kin + -ing 3
In a monarchy, the male ruler is called the king. A king or queen rules until death, when the next in line — usually a son or daughter — inherits the throne. You can also use the word king to describe someone who's very powerful or well-known, like the king of Scrabble competitions or the king of the auto industry. In chess, the king is the most important piece, the one protected by every other piece on the board. King shares an Old English root with kin, or "family."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 38-year-old was also making history, becoming the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer, and demonstrating that he still lays claim to being the king of world football.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
The findings suggest that the king of dinosaurs may have taken far longer to grow up than anyone previously realized.
From Science Daily • Jun. 22, 2026
“He was literally a king and a dragon rider down to now being a guy who is a beggar,” Condal said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
The eldest child of the previous king, Viserys I, Rhaenyra was named the official heir to the Iron Throne as a teenager by her father, despite women usually being overlooked in the line of succession.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026
When the king hesitated, he added, “Unless His Highness is afraid of the dark?”
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
