kingmaker

American  

[king-may-ker] / ˈkɪŋˌmeɪ kər /

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.

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kingmaker British  

/ ˈkɪŋˌmeɪkə /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• kingmaking
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of kingmaker

First recorded in 1590–1600; king + maker

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kingmaker

Lorena Gonzalez, daughter of a Mexican immigrant father and white mother, leads the California Labor Federation, a longtime kingmaker in state politics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

That demand has made Nvidia the world's most valuable company by market capitalization and turned chief executive Jensen Huang into AI's kingmaker.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

"The truth is, any small party can become a kingmaker," Dahlia Scheindlin says.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Which is why this week Politico asked Piker if he thought of himself as a kingmaker.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

In later years, I discovered that my father was not only an adviser to kings but a kingmaker.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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