throne

American  

[throhn] / θroʊn /

noun

thrones plural

1. the chair or seat occupied by a sovereign, bishop, or other exalted personage on ceremonial occasions, usually raised on a dais and covered with a canopy.

2. the office or dignity of a sovereign.

   He came to the throne by succession.

3. the occupant of a throne; sovereign.

4. sovereign power or authority.

   to address one's pleas to the throne.

5. an episcopal office or authority.

   the diocesan throne.

6. mourners' bench.

7. thrones, an order of angels.

8. Facetious. a toilet.

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verb (used with or without object)

throned, throning

1. to sit on or as on a throne.

throne British  

/ θrəʊn /

noun

1. the ceremonial seat occupied by a monarch, bishop, etc on occasions of state

2. the power, duties, or rank ascribed to a royal person

3. a person holding royal rank

4. (plural; often capital) the third of the nine orders into which the angels are traditionally divided in medieval angelology

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verb

1. to place or be placed on a throne

throne Idioms  

1. see power behind the throne.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• throneless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• thrones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of throne

1175–1225; Middle English < Latin thronus < Greek thrónos high seat; replacing Middle English trone < Old French < Latin, as above

Explanation

The oversized, bejeweled chair on which a king or queen sits is called a throne. Monarchs — kings and queens — sit on thrones on special ceremonial occasions, and so do religious figures such as bishops and popes. You can also describe the act of naming a new monarch this way: "Queen Elizabeth II of England was throned in 1952." The word throne has its root in the Greek thronos, "chair or elevated seat." In ancient Greek mythology, Zeus was said to sit on a special heavenly seat, the Dios thronous.

Example Sentences

She offered to essentially hand over the Iron Throne while Aemond was away if Rhaenyra promised to spare her and her family.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

It was a daunting endeavor even before considering that this season would see Rhaenyra — and thus D’Arcy — back in the massive sets of the Red Keep where the Iron Throne sits.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026

That appeared to pave the way for the emperor's daughter to rise to the Chrysanthemum Throne, but the birth of Prince Hisahito, the emperor's nephew, the following year silenced the debate.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Groomed from birth to inherit Iran's Peacock Throne, Reza Pahlavi was undergoing fighter pilot training in the United States when the 1979 revolution swept away his father's monarchy.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

Baelor the Blessed had ordered all Barth’s writings destroyed when he came to the Iron Throne.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin