kingpin

noun

king·​pin ˈkiŋ-ˌpin How to pronounce kingpin (audio)
1
: the chief person in a group or undertaking
2
: any of several bowling pins: such as
a
b
: the pin that stands in the middle of a triangular arrangement of bowling pins
3
a
b
: a pin connecting the two parts of a knuckle joint (as in an automobile steering linkage)

Examples of kingpin in a Sentence

kingpins of the movie industry a police sting that nabbed several kingpins of the city's drug trade
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.
Meanwhile, in the co-main event, UFC flyweight kingpin Alexandre Pantoja puts his title on the line against Kai Kara-France. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025 That event drives the Buckleys down a dark path that eventually pits them in the middle of two warring drug kingpins, the Parker family and a notorious smuggler named Grady (Topher Grace). Keith Langston, People.com, 21 June 2025 The star, who broke out with his role in Alfonso Cuarón's Y tu mamá también, last starred as a drug lord on the 2018 drama series Narcos: Mexico, playing Guadalajara Cartel co-founder Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, one of the most infamous drug kingpins of the 1980s. EW.com, 17 June 2025 State Department revoked the band members’ visas for displaying a visual of a cartel kingpin during the Zapopan show. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for kingpin

Word History

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of kingpin was in 1773

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Cite this Entry

“Kingpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kingpin. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

kingpin

noun
king·​pin ˈkiŋ-ˌpin How to pronounce kingpin (audio)
1
: a pin that stands in the middle of a triangular arrangement of bowling pins
also : headpin
2
: the chief person in a group or undertaking
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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