kingpin

[king-pin]

noun

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.

kingpin

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of kingpin¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; king + pin

Example Sentences

I stand up ready to give this former cyber-crime kingpin a professional hello.

Read more on BBC

And Mexico’s cartels, by all accounts, have only gotten stronger in recent years, despite the take-down of numerous kingpins.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And yet the White House has cast Venezuela’s socialist president, Nicolás Maduro, as an all-powerful kingpin “poisoning” American streets with crime and drugs.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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

Read more on Barron's

As always following the arrest of an alleged kingpin, the question becomes how far their removal will affect the global drug trade.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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