kingpin
Americannoun
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Bowling.
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Informal. the person of chief importance in a corporation, movement, undertaking, etc.
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Informal. the chief element of any system, plan, or the like.
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a kingbolt.
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either of the pins that are a part of the mechanism for turning the front wheels in some automotive steering systems.
noun
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the most important person in an organization
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the crucial or most important feature of a theory, argument, etc
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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
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tenpin bowling the front pin in the triangular arrangement of the ten pins
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(in ninepins) the central pin in the diamond pattern of the nine pins
Etymology
Origin of kingpin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Hence the relative ease with which the regime gave up its kingpin.
I stand up ready to give this former cyber-crime kingpin a professional hello.
From BBC
The US sanctions list is usually reserved for drug kingpins, terror operatives and dictators involved in widespread human rights abuses.
From Barron's
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.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.