kingmaker

[king-mey-ker]

noun

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

kingmaker

/ ˈkɪŋˌmeɪkə /

noun

1. a person who has control over appointments to positions of authority

Other Word Forms

• kingmaking noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of kingmaker¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; king + maker

Example Sentences

No longer will he be the king, much less the kingmaker — and he cannot stand the idea of being irrelevant.

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By the 2000s Dobson was a kingmaker in the GOP and was feted by every Republican politician who coveted his endorsement.

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Or Cecil B. DeMille, the Hollywood kingmaker whose friendly exterior disguises his determination to preserve his industry’s institutional sexism?

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Guralnick’s new book is the story of an immigrant scrapper who became a kingmaker with his unerring instinct for the main chance.

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It’s also the fastest-growing, and it’s been a political kingmaker since the 1990s.

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Related Words

• fixer