Standard Lemma guide

kingmaker

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkɪŋmeɪkə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈkɪŋˌmeɪkɚ/
  • CMU ARPABET: K IH1 NG M EY2 K ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A player who is unable to win but powerful enough to decide which of the other viable players will eventually win.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Topics: computing, engineering, game-theory, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

an important person who can bring leaders to power through the exercise of political influence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the Earl of Warwick was the first kingmaker

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: important person, influential person, personage

4

noun

Meaning 4

English statesman; during the War of the Roses he fought first for the house of York and secured the throne for Edward IV and then changed sides to fight for the house of Lancaster and secured the throne for Henry VI (1428-1471)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Warwick, Earl of Warwick, Richard Neville

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: statesman, solon, national leader

History

Etymology

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.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: faedor de reis — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Chinese Cantonese: 造王者 (zou6 wong4 ze2) — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擁立國王者 /拥立国王者 (yōnglìguówángzhě, yǒnglìguówángzhě) — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Czech: králotvůrce — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Danish: kongemager — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Dutch: koningmaker — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Finnish: kuninkaantekijä — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • French: faiseur de rois — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • German: Königsmacher — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Japanese: キングメーカー — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Korean: 킹메이커 (kingmeikeo) — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Māori: kaiwhakawahi kīngi — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kingmaker — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Persian: شاهنشان — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Portuguese: fazedor de reis — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Russian: делатель королей (delatelʹ korolej) — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Serbo-Croatian: kingmejker — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Swedish: kungamakare — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Ukrainian: кінгме́йкер (kinhméjker) — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Ukrainian: царетво́рець (caretvórecʹ) — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Ukrainian: королеробець (korolerobecʹ) — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader
  • Yoruba: afọbajẹ — someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader