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 It’s revealed early on that Alice is a whistleblower, leveraged by the Feds into feeding them information to build a corporate malfeasance case against the company run by arrogant business kingpin Daniel Bailey (Richard Roxburgh). David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 May 2024 The shocking information about Hamas kingpin Yahya Sinwar was revealed by Gen. Jack Keane, FOX News Channel senior strategic analyst and former U.S. army vice chief of staff, in an interview with Sky News Australia on Thursday. Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 5 May 2024 From the beginning, the media portrayed Ross as a murderous drug kingpin presiding over a vast global cartel, and for the community on Silk Road, that simply didn’t add up. Alex Winter, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2024 The sourest note is struck by one firmly xenophobic white male resident (Emmanuel Bonami) who’s convinced everyone else is a drug kingpin. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Apr. 2024 There were hedge fund kingpins and Silicon Valley executives accused of personal or business misconduct. David Enrich, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024 In a battle much more reminiscent of Succession than Fantasia, Disney’s kingpin Bob Iger turned back activist investors who attempted to wrest control of the company away from him on Wednesday in a dramatic shareholder vote. Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024 Ready to get flipping? 'American Fiction': 'Erasure,' Percival Everett Percival Everett, in the world of writers' writers, is a kingpin. Scott Hocker, theweek, 31 Jan. 2024 The 75-year-old French kingpin Arnault, who oversees fashion empire LVMH with a net worth of $233 billion, led the record-breaking pack of 2,781 billionaires—more than ever before. Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of kingpin was in 1773

Dictionary Entries Near kingpin

Cite this Entry

“Kingpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kingpin. Accessed 12 May. 2024.

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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