king

noun

1
a
: a male monarch of a major territorial unit
especially : one whose position is hereditary and who rules for life
b
: a paramount chief
2
capitalized : god, christ
… to worship the King, the Lord of hosts …Zechariah 14:16 (Revised Standard Version)
3
: one that holds a preeminent position
especially : a chief among competitors
the cattle kings rode up from the south Alan Moorehead
even if no longer king, cotton remains the chief cash crop Howell Walker
4
: the principal piece of each color in chess having the power to move ordinarily one square in any direction and to capture opposing pieces but being obliged never to enter or remain in check
5
: a playing card marked with a stylized figure of a king
6
: a checker that has been crowned
7

Examples of king in a Sentence

He pledged his loyalty to the king and queen. the reign of King James He became king at a young age. He's widely regarded as the king of soul music. He was voted king of the prom. The lion is known as the king of the jungle. She won the game by checkmating his king.
Recent Examples on the Web The family-friendly home has a primary bedroom with a king bed and a secondary bedroom with bunk beds. Kristi Kellogg, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2024 Product is king, but the saying is true: teamwork makes the dream work. Noor Lobad, WWD, 18 Oct. 2024 Featuring the alter ego of warrior king T’Challa, this drop brings the power of Vibranium to bear across five majestic cards, including an all-new legendary Black Panther. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024 Anna Camp has won high praise from her Pitch Perfect musical comedies, while Bruce Campbell is the undisputed king of horror comedy thanks to his classic role as Ash Williams in The Evil Dead movie trilogy and the spinoff series Ash vs. Evil Dead. Tim Lammers, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for king 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'king.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English cyning; akin to Old High German kuning king, Old English cynn kin

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of king was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near king

Cite this Entry

“King.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/king. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

king

noun
1
: a male ruler of a country who usually inherits his position and rules for life
2
: a chief among competitors
an oil king
3
: the chief piece in the game of chess
4
: a playing card bearing the figure of a king
5
: a piece in the game of checkers that has reached the opponent's back row and has been crowned

Biographical Definition

King 1 of 8

biographical name (1)

B. B. 1925–2015 originally Riley B. King American blues musician

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biographical name (2)

Billie Jean 1943–     née Moffitt American tennis player

King

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biographical name (3)

Ernest Joseph 1878–1956 American admiral

King

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biographical name (4)

Martin Luther, Jr. 1929–1968 American clergyman and civil rights leader

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biographical name (5)

Rufus 1755–1827 American politician and diplomat

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biographical name (6)

Stephen (Edwin) 1947–     American writer

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biographical name (7)

William Lyon Mackenzie 1874–1950 Canadian statesman; prime minister (1921–26; 1926–30; 1935–48)

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biographical name (8)

William Rufus de Vane 1786–1853 American politician; vice president of the U.S. (1853)

More from Merriam-Webster on king

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