kingmaker

[ king-mey-ker ]

/ ˈkɪŋˌmeɪ kər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for kingmaker on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who has great power and influence in the choice of a ruler, candidate for public office, business leader, or the like.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of kingmaker

First recorded in 1590–1600; king + maker

OTHER WORDS FROM kingmaker

kingmaking, noun, adjective

Words nearby kingmaker

Kinglake, King Lear, kinglet, kingly, king mackerel, kingmaker, King, Martin Luther, Jr., king-of-arms, king of beasts, king of kings, king of the castle

How to use kingmaker in a sentence

This makes the Greens, on 118 seats, and the FDP, on 92 seats, kingmakers of the coalition.
Germany's Election Produced No Clear Winner. Here's What Happens Next|Eloise Barry|September 27, 2021|Time
In fact, if they perform as expected, the Greens could be the kingmakers or dealbreakers for a Labour-led government.
Norway's Fossil Fuel Reliance Is Going to the Ballot Box|Ian Bremmer|September 10, 2021|Time
Isaiah Rynders was the swing-state kingmaker of American electoral politics.
New York’s First Crime Boss: Captain Isaiah Rynders|Mark Lawrence Schrad|September 10, 2021|The Daily Beast
We may be seen as the kingmakers in regards to who wins outside of the walled gardens, but until very recently we’ve been too fragmented in our expectations of the future and way too focused on our own little businesses.
‘Our place in the value chain could be diminished’: Confessions of a publisher exec on the future of user-level identifiers|Seb Joseph|March 16, 2021|Digiday

On the one hand, he is the former president, probably the GOP front-runner and, at the very least, a highly influential kingmaker, so what he does is news.
What Did CPAC Tell Us About The Future Of The GOP?|Sarah Frostenson (sarah.frostenson@abc.com)|March 1, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
The New York kingmaker who died Monday believed voters could actually handle a nuanced argument.
David Garth, the Consultant Who Talked Up to Voters|Jeff Greenfield|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like the Koch Brothers, it seemed Rastetter wanted to be a GOP kingmaker.
Will Chris Christie Bow to Iowa’s Pork Kings?|Olivia Nuzzi|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Terry Branstad is a GOP kingmaker who could lose his bid for a sixth term thanks to scandal upon scandal.
Is Iowa’s Republican Goliath Governor the Next Chris Christie?|Ben Jacobs|April 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Shas, their biggest party, has long been a coalition kingmaker and could thus get its constituency child subsidies and welfare.
Israel's New Plan For Ultra-Orthodox Jews|Sahar Segal|April 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Bennett, at the end, seized about a dozen seats, hardly setting him up to be Bibi's right-wing kingmaker.
A Vote Against Bibi, Not His Policies|Ali Gharib|January 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The battle of Barnet witnessed the fall and death of the kingmaker, and with her champion feudalism fell.
About London|J. Ewing Ritchie
There was a man once in England whom they call the kingmaker.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 7 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
Tom led forth the horses one after the other—Kingmaker, the Fiddler, Pittapat, and the others.
The Killer|Stewart Edward White
Not till Warwick, 'the Kingmaker,' was laid low on Barnet field, did the kingly ideal become paramount.
The Siege of Norwich Castle|Matilda Maria Blake
His queen, Anne Neville, the daughter of the kingmaker, was on her death-bed.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 5|Various

British Dictionary definitions for kingmaker

kingmaker

/ (ˈkɪŋˌmeɪkə) /

noun

a person who has control over appointments to positions of authority

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

kingmaker

Origin of kingmaker

OTHER WORDS FROM kingmaker

Words nearby kingmaker

Words related to kingmaker

How to use kingmaker in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for kingmaker