king

[ king ]

/ kɪŋ /

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

to reign as king.

adjective

Informal. king-size.

Verb Phrases

king it, to play the king; behave in an imperious or pretentious manner: He kinged it over all the other kids on the block.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?

Question 1 of 10

earnest

full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.

a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.

urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of king

before 900; Middle English; Old English cyng, cyni(n)g; cognate with German König, Dutch koning, Old Norse konungr, Swedish konung, Danish konge. See kin, -ing³

OTHER WORDS FROM king

king·less, adjectiveking·less·ness, nounking·like, adjectiveout·king, verb (used with object)

sub·king, nounun·der·king, nounun·kinged, adjectiveun·king·like, adjective

Words nearby king

kinetograph, kinetoplast, kinetoscope, kinetosis, kinfolk, king, king bee, king charles spaniel, king clam, king closer, king cobra

Definition for king (2 of 4)

King

[ king ]

/ kɪŋ /

noun

Billie Jean (Mof·fitt)

[mof-it] /ˈmɒf ɪt/,born 1943, U.S. tennis player.

Clarence,1842–1901, U.S. geologist and cartographer.

Co·ret·ta Scott [kaw-ret-uh] /kɔˈrɛt ə/,1927–2006, U.S. civil rights leader (widow of Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Ernest Joseph,1878–1956, U.S. naval officer.

Martin Luther, Jr.,1929–68, U.S. Baptist minister: civil-rights leader; Nobel Peace Prize 1964.

MaxineMicki,born 1944, U.S. springboard 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 De·Vane

[duh-veyn] /dəˈveɪn/,1786–1853, vice president of the U.S. 1853.

Definition for king (3 of 4)

à la king

[ ah luh king, al-uh ]

/ ˌɑ lə ˈkɪŋ, ˌæl ə /

adjective

(of cooked fowl, fish, etc.) diced and served in a cream sauce containing mushrooms, pimiento, or green pepper: chicken à la king.

Origin of à la king

First recorded in 1915–20

Definition for king (4 of 4)

Oliver

[ ol-uh-ver ]

/ ˈɒl ə vər /

noun

one of the 12 paladins of Charlemagne.Compare Roland.

JosephKing,1885?–1938, U.S. cornet player, bandleader, and composer: pioneer in jazz.

a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for king

As played by Omundson, King Richard is effeminate, sincere, and ten times funnier than everyone else.
‘Galavant’: A Drunken, Horny Musical Fairy Tale|Melissa Leon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
King agreed to this arrangement but did not reveal it to his followers.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We tend to think not, but the rise of King, Kennedy, and Lincoln was unlikely, too.
No Gods, No Cops, No Masters|James Poulos|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And now Reggaeton is king in Cuba as it is in most of the Caribbean.
Cuban Hip-Hop Was Born in Alamar|Daniel Levin|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The bye bye is being sung, incidentally, by mothers to their babies condemned to death by King Herod.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.|Michael Tomasky|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A player who gives the odds of a piece, may give it each game from the king's or queen's side, at his option.
Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million|Sarah Josepha Hale
The King looked round with a curious eye, and elsewhere, before departing.
The Mesmerist's Victim|Alexandre Dumas
The King subsequently sailed on his intended visit to the sister island, and arrived off the coast in due course.
Memoirs of the Court of George IV. 1820-1830 (Vol 1)|Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
A few days after this passed, ambassadors came from Cotys, king of Thrace, bringing money to ransom his son and the said hostages.
The History of Rome, Books 37 to the End|Titus Livius
The illustrious guide—the King of the Law—has left us; the whole world is empty and afflicted.
Buddhism, In its Connexion With Brahmanism and Hinduism, and In Its Contrast with Christianity|Sir Monier Monier-Williams

British Dictionary definitions for king (1 of 4)

king

/ (kɪŋ) /

noun

a male sovereign prince who is the official ruler of an independent state; monarchRelated adjectives: royal, regal, monarchical

a ruler or chiefking 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 directionSee also check (def. 30), 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

king of kings

God
a title of any of various oriental monarchs

verb (tr)

to make (someone) a king

king it to act in a superior fashion

Derived forms of king

kinghood, nounkingless, adjectivekinglike, adjective

Word Origin for king

Old English cyning; related to Old High German kunig king, Danish konge

British Dictionary definitions for king (2 of 4)

King

/ (kɪŋ) /

noun

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)

British Dictionary definitions for king (3 of 4)

à la king

/ (ɑː lɑː ˈkɪŋ, æ lə) /

adjective

(usually postpositive) cooked in a cream sauce with mushrooms and green peppers

British Dictionary definitions for king (4 of 4)

Oliver

/ (ˈɒlɪvə) /

noun

one of Charlemagne's 12 paladinsSee also Roland

Isaac. ?1556–1617, English portrait miniaturist, born in France: he studied under Hilliard and worked at James I's court

Jamie (Trevor). born 1975, British chef and presenter of television cookery programmes

Joseph, known as King Oliver. 1885–1938, US pioneer jazz cornetist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with king

king

In addition to the idiom beginning with king

, also see

live like a king

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king