kingmaker

noun

king·​mak·​er ˈkiŋ-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce kingmaker (audio)
: one having great influence over the choice of candidates for political office

Examples of kingmaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The mogul has cast himself as kingmaker in the populist wave that is submerging multiple centrist European leaders. Rob Picheta, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025 The appointment was a win for Silicon Valley and part of a big night for Thiel, the tech kingmaker and GOP megadonor, the N.Y. Times' Teddy Schleifer points out. Mike Allen, Axios, 27 Nov. 2024 While the AfD will see themselves as potential kingmakers, the CDU/CSU may be unwilling to give them such a prominent voice in running the country. Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024 Early voting gave Harris an advantage in Michigan and Pennsylvania—the latter of which remains the potential kingmaker for many analysts—while Trump gained an early lead in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Georgia. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for kingmaker 

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kingmaker was in 1595

Dictionary Entries Near kingmaker

Cite this Entry

“Kingmaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kingmaker. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

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