throne

[ throhn ]

noun

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. Compare angel ( def 1 ).
8. Facetious. a toilet.

verb (used with or without object)

, throned, thron·ing.

1. to sit on or as on a throne.

throne

/ 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

verb

1. to place or be placed on a throne

Derived Forms

• ˈthroneless, adjective

Other Words From

• throneless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of throne¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of throne¹

C13: from Old French trone, from Latin thronus, from Greek thronos throne

Idioms and Phrases

see power behind the throne .

Example Sentences

And, others said that they would see his body rise from the throne, start pacing the room, all while his head disappeared.

From Time

The image of him on that chair was Photoshopped into famous scenarios, real and fictional, including the throne from “Game of Thrones,” the cover of Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” and the iconic photograph “Lunch atop a Skyscraper.”

From Washington Post

Created by Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon and her sister Emily Lynne, this 10-episode audio comedy follows a queen and her minion as they try to save the throne after learning about a planned uprising.

From Time

Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors in 2016, intent on chasing rings, knocking James off his throne and broadening his business portfolio.

From Washington Post

I've never had much luck with "cheap" office chairs—a $350 mid-back office chair frequently turns into a throne of pain without sufficient extended breaks to get up and move around.

From Ars Technica

Then, as I sat here on this “throne,” this beautiful choir struck my ears and senses.

From The Daily Beast

The wonderful reign of Queen Elizabeth has everyone worried about what will happen when her crank of a son takes the throne.

From The Daily Beast

They will not be green birds flying beneath the great throne—arsh—of Allah until the Final Day.

From The Daily Beast

So, when Juan Carlos was put on the throne by Franco, he was said to be stone broke.

From The Daily Beast

The Tudors who succeeded Richard to the throne reinforced their own legitimacy by setting out systematically to trash him.

From The Daily Beast

The Greek character will now become easy to decipher; and the evening papers may take King Otho both off the throne and on.

From Project Gutenberg

They went to the capital, forcibly removed the king from his throne, and banished him to the island of Kang-wa.

From Project Gutenberg

And I will fasten him as a peg in a sure place, and he shall be for a throne of glory to the house of his father.

From Project Gutenberg

When he ascended the throne, his friend presented him a turnip of extraordinary size.

From Project Gutenberg

Night, high on her spangled throne, watches the sun dip down behind the Libyan sands.

From Project Gutenberg