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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
By creating a false dichotomy between talent and dedication, Combs justified the show’s grueling demands of contestants, his role as their kingmaker, and his explosive anger when the women failed to meet his expectations. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024 But questions about a profit-sharing program with industry execs have threatened his kingmaker reputation. Iain Martin, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 Critics have suggested Harris’ rise had more to do with political savvy — or her relationship in the mid-1990s with San Francisco political kingmaker Willie Brown — than talent or smarts. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024 Once ridiculed as unserious fanatics by the conservative establishment, Dunn and Wilks are now its kingmakers. Ava Kofman, ProPublica, 2 Oct. 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 22 Dec. 2024.

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