kingpin

American  

[king-pin] / ˈkɪŋˌpɪn /

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.

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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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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

Border Security Minister Alex Norris said the UK was "cracking down on the criminals exchanging human lives for cash" and praised officers for apprehending "this smuggling kingpin".

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

Motley Rice has made a name as the kingpin of opioid litigation, but its tendency to prioritize its own interests is catching up with it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

It also made him a kingpin and punched his ticket to serve as co-leader of the free world for several months.

From Slate • Oct. 17, 2025

Last month, the US sanctioned nine people and companies connected to Shwe Kokko and the Chinese criminal kingpin She Zhijiang, founder of the multistorey Yatai New City centre.

From Barron's • Oct. 14, 2025

Francis is wide awake and wearing his favorite-slash-only bathrobe, like he’s some kingpin whose business makes him stacks on stacks of money instead of a technician spending the little he makes on us.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

Related Words

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