king

noun

ˈkiŋ

Synonyms of king next

: a male monarch of a major territorial unit

especially : one whose position is hereditary and who rules for life

: a paramount chief

capitalized : god, christ

… to worship the King, the Lord of hosts …—

Zechariah 14:16 (Revised Standard Version)

: 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

: 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

: a playing card marked with a stylized figure of a king

: a checker that has been crowned

: chinook salmon

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 king of the pirates would play nice, try diplomacy. —

Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024 The king has continued fulfilling his state duties, such as reviewing government papers and meeting with the prime minister. —

Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 1 Apr. 2024 Due to medical advice, the king and queen sat away from other members of the family to minimize Charles’s interactions with others. —

Elise Taylor, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2024 The hotel also still features the Otis Traction Elevator, the first elevator installed in Prescott in 1925. Rooms today range from offerings with standard king beds to family studios with adjoining rooms. —

The Arizona Republic, 30 Mar. 2024 But another — that king cherries are Korean — lives on. —

Hisako Ueno Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024 But in the future, Jews might even remember him as the leader who inflicted the most harm on his people since the squabbling Hasmonean kings brought civil war and Roman occupation to Judea nearly 21 centuries ago. —

Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024 In virtually any age and any culture, the health of the king was the health of the kingdom. —

Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 Shoppers can choose from a number of colors, including coral and ballet pink, in sizes twin through California king. —

Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024

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

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“King.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/king. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

king

noun

ˈkiŋ

: a male ruler of a country who usually inherits his position and rules for life

: a chief among competitors

an oil king

: the chief piece in the game of chess

: a playing card bearing the figure of a king

: 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)

ˈkiŋ

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

King

2 of 8

biographical name (2)

Billie Jean 1943– née Moffitt American tennis player

King

3 of 8

biographical name (3)

Ernest Joseph 1878–1956 American admiral

King

4 of 8

biographical name (4)

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

King

5 of 8

biographical name (5)

Rufus 1755–1827 American politician and diplomat

King

6 of 8

biographical name (6)

Stephen (Edwin) 1947– American writer

King

7 of 8

biographical name (7)

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

King

8 of 8

biographical name (8)

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

Last Updated: 5 Apr 2024 - Updated example sentences

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king

noun

Synonyms

Examples of king in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near king

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Biographical Definition

biographical name (1)

biographical name (2)

biographical name (3)

biographical name (4)

biographical name (5)

biographical name (6)

biographical name (7)

biographical name (8)