kingpin

American  

[king-pin] / ˈkɪŋˌpɪn /

noun

kingpins plural

1. Bowling.

   1. headpin.

   2. the pin at the center; the number five pin.

2. Informal. the person of chief importance in a corporation, movement, undertaking, etc.

3. Informal. the chief element of any system, plan, or the like.

4. a kingbolt.

5. either of the pins that are a part of the mechanism for turning the front wheels in some automotive steering systems.

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kingpin British  

/ ˈkɪŋˌpɪn /

noun

1. the most important person in an organization

2. the crucial or most important feature of a theory, argument, etc

3. Also called (Brit): swivel pin.  a pivot pin that provides a steering joint in a motor vehicle by securing the stub axle to the axle beam

4. tenpin bowling the front pin in the triangular arrangement of the ten pins

5. (in ninepins) the central pin in the diamond pattern of the nine pins

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• kingpins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kingpin

First recorded in 1795–1805; king + pin

Explanation

A kingpin, also called a "center pin" or a "five pin," is the pin at the very center in bowling. From the bowling pin definition of kingpin, we get its other common meaning: someone who is important. If you are the kingpin in your office, you are probably the boss. The kingpin is the bigwig or the very most important, authoritative, or essential person in a group. The kingpins of the music business are often the owners of record labels rather than the actual musicians, and the kingpin of your bowling team is the person who bowls a strike every single time. In machines, an important vertical bolt can also be called a kingpin. In other words, there is a good reason that king is the most important part of kingpin.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kingpin kingpins

The 76-year-old is the former top associate of the organization's kingpin founder, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Colorado.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Thompson, who was described as the "kingpin", Cullen and Newall had all denied the offence during their earlier trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

After decades as the second-biggest U.S. burger chain by sales behind McDonald’s, it had just been surpassed by Wendy’s as well as chicken sandwich kingpin Chick-fil-A, according to market-research firm Technomic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026

"We did not know that he was the kingpin," Hun Manet told AFP in Brussels, where he stopped as part of an international trip to shore up diplomatic support over a border conflict with Thailand.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

Well, when he got through figgerin’ he showed it to some other fellers and there it was, plain as anything—the earth wasn’t the big kingpin at all.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt

Xu is one of a half-dozen alleged kingpins running cybercrime networks, based in Cambodia, who have been sanctioned by the U.S. or are wanted by investigative agencies in other countries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

The US sanctions list is usually reserved for drug kingpins, terror operatives and dictators involved in widespread human rights abuses.

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2025

It sounded a lot like López Obrador’s “Hugs not bullets” strategy — attacking the root causes of crime instead of trying to take down cartel kingpins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2024

Elsewhere, dance kingpins Chase & Status score their fifth top 10 album with 2 Ruff, Vol.

From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2023

Like kingpins, one steel tier lammed into another, then they all crashed to the floor with a sound as of the roof falling.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

Related Words

• boss
• company
• corporation
• entrepreneur
• executive
• firm
• management
• manager
• manufacturer
• organization
• owner