king

¹

[ king ]

noun

1. a male sovereign or monarch; a man who holds by life tenure, and usually by hereditary right, the chief authority over a country and people.
2. (initial capital letter) God or Christ.
3. a person or thing preeminent in its class:

   a king of actors.

4. a playing card bearing a picture of a king.
5. Chess. the chief piece of each color, whose checkmating is the object of the game; moved one square at a time in any direction.
6. Checkers. a piece that has been moved entirely across the board and has been crowned, thus allowing it to be moved in any direction.
7. Entomology. a fertile male termite.
8. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter K.

verb (used with object)

1. to make a king of; cause to be or become a king; crown.
2. Informal. to design or make (a product) king-size:

   The tobacco company is going to king its cigarettes.

verb (used without object)

1. to reign as king.

adjective

1. Informal. king-size.

verb phrase

1. to play the king; behave in an imperious or pretentious manner:

   He kinged it over all the other kids on the block.

King

²

[ king ]

noun

1. Bil·lie Jean (Mof·fitt) [bil, -ee , jeen, , mof, -it], born 1943, U.S. tennis player.
2. Clarence, 1842–1901, U.S. geologist and cartographer.
3. Co·ret·ta Scott [kaw-, ret, -, uh, , skot], 1927–2006, U.S. civil rights leader (widow of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
4. Ernest Joseph, 1878–1956, U.S. naval officer.
5. Martin Luther, Jr., MLK, 1929–68, U.S. Baptist minister: civil rights leader; Nobel Peace Prize 1964.
6. Maxine Micki, born 1944, U.S. springboard and platform diver.
7. Richard, 1825–85, U.S. rancher and steamboat operator.
8. Riley B. B.B., 1925–2015, U.S. blues singer and guitarist.
9. Rufus, 1755–1827, U.S. political leader and statesman.
10. Stephen, born 1947, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
11. William Lyon Mackenzie, 1874–1950, Canadian statesman: prime minister 1921–26, 1926–30, 1935–48.
12. William Rufus De·Vane [d, uh, -, veyn], 1786–1853, vice president of the U.S. 1853.

king

¹

/ kɪŋ /

noun

1. a male sovereign prince who is the official ruler of an independent state; monarch royalregalmonarchical
2. 1. a ruler or chief

      king of the fairies

   2. ( in combination )

      the pirate king

3. 1. a person, animal, or thing considered as the best or most important of its kind
   2. ( as modifier )

      a king bull

4. any of four playing cards in a pack, one for each suit, bearing the picture of a king
5. the most important chess piece, although theoretically the weakest, being able to move only one square at a time in any direction See also check checkmate
6. draughts a piece that has moved entirely across the board and has been crowned, after which it may move backwards as well as forwards
7. king of kings
   1. God
   2. a title of any of various oriental monarchs

verb

1. to make (someone) a king
2. king it
   to act in a superior fashion

King

²

/ kɪŋ /

noun

1. KingB.B.1925MUSMUSIC: blues singerMUSIC: guitarist B.B., real name Riley B. King. born 1925, US blues singer and guitarist
2. KingBillie Jean1943FUSSPORT AND GAMES: tennis player Billie Jean (née Moffitt ). born 1943, US tennis player: winner of twelve Grand Slam singles titles, including Wimbledon (1966–68, 1972–73, and 1975) and the US Open (1967, 1971–72, and 1974)
3. KingMartin Luther19291968MUSRELIGION: clergymanPOLITICS: civil-rights leader Martin Luther. 1929–68, US Baptist minister and civil-rights leader. He advocated nonviolence in his campaigns against the segregation of Black people in the South: assassinated: Nobel Peace Prize 1964
4. KingStephen (Edwin)1947MUSWRITING: writer Stephen ( Edwin ). born 1947, US writer esp of horror novels; his books, many of which have been filmed, include Carrie (1974), The Shining (1977), Misery (1988), and Everything's Eventual (2002)
5. KingWilliam Lyon Mackenzie18741950MCanadianPOLITICS: statesmanPOLITICS: prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie. 1874–1950, Canadian Liberal statesman; prime minister (1921–26; 1926–30; 1935–48)

Derived Forms

• ˈkingˌhood, noun
• ˈkingless, adjective
• ˈkingˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• kingless adjective
• kingless·ness noun
• kinglike adjective
• outking verb (used with object)
• subking noun
• under·king noun
• un·kinged adjective
• un·kinglike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of king¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cyng, cyni(n)g; cognate with German König, Dutch koning, Old Norse konungr, Swedish konung, Danish konge; equivalent to kin + -ing ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of king¹

Old English cyning; related to Old High German kunig king, Danish konge

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with king , also see live like a king .

Example Sentences

The top two sharpshooters in NBA history squared off Monday night — Clippers three-point king James Harden and Golden State long-distance wonder Stephen Curry bringing a high level of excitement to the Intuit Dome.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump is a jester inside the palace, playing at the role of king, but mocking the very idea of principled leadership in the process.

From Salon

“I could argue that Anthony Blinken was a joke of a secretary of state, and 'border czar' Kamala Harris was a f**king joke,” Santos said.

From Salon

It's reminiscent of Elon Musk's Texas compound, where he can play out his fantasies of being a feudal king behind walls that shield him from the scary real world.

From Salon

Images of king tides from previous years are available on the project’s website.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• emperor
• monarch
• sultan