kingmaker
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kingmaker
- /ˈkɪŋmeɪkə/ UK
- /ˈkɪŋˌmeɪkɚ/ US
Where it comes from
From king + maker, originally used in the 16th century in “Warwick the Kingmaker”, an epithet of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (1428–1471), a key figure in the Wars of the Roses whose actions led to King Henry VI being deposed in 1461 and Edward IV appointed in his place, then Edward IV being replaced by Henry VI again in 1470.
noun kingmakers
- Someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader. Alain, who is proud of choosing the extreme right but still didn't want his real name printed, is one of the 6.4 million [Marine] Le Pen voters who are now the kingmakers in deciding who becomes the next president of France. If the Socialist François Hollande topped the poll, beating the rightwing p
- A player who is unable to win but powerful enough to decide which of the other viable players will eventually win.
Translations
Every language
noun someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
| 한국어 | 킹메이커 kingmeikeo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | キングメーカー |
| 中文 | 擁立國王者 /拥立国王者 yōnglìguówángzhě, yǒnglìguówángzhě |
| Português | fazedor de reis |
| Français | faiseur de rois |
| Deutsch | Königsmacher |
| Русский | делатель королей delatelʹ korolej |
Talk about this word "kingmaker." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/kingmaker. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. kingmaker. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/kingmaker "kingmaker." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/kingmaker.Cite this
@misc{kingmaker_2026,
title = {kingmaker},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/kingmaker},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
