king

king

noun \ˈkiŋ\

Definition of KING

1

a : a male monarch of a major territorial unit; especially : one whose position is hereditary and who rules for life b : a paramount chief

2

capitalized : god, christ

3

: one that holds a preeminent position; especially : a chief among competitors

4

: 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

5

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

6

: a checker that has been crowned

7

: chinook salmon

Examples of KING

1. He pledged his loyalty to the king and queen.
2. the reign of King James
3. He became king at a young age.
4. He's widely regarded as the king of soul music.
5. He was voted king of the prom.
6. The lion is known as the king of the jungle.
7. She won the game by checkmating his king.

Origin of KING

Middle English, from Old English cyning; akin to Old High German kuning king, Old English cynn kin

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to KING

Synonyms: baron, captain, czar (also tsar or tzar), magnate, lion, lord, mogul, monarch, Napoleon, prince, tycoon

Related Words: big boy, big cheese, bigfoot, biggie, big gun, big shot, big wheel, bigwig, fat cat, figure, heavy, heavyweight, honcho, kahuna, main man, mover and shaker, nabob, nawab, notable, personage, pooh-bah (also poo-bah), supremo [chiefly British], VIP; celebrity, personality, star, superstar; deity, demigod, god

Near Antonyms: half-pint, lightweight, small-timer; inferior, subordinate, underling; nobody, nothing, zero

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Other Foreign Functionary Terms

count, despot, emir, wardrobe, yeoman

Rhymes with KING

bring, Ching, cling, ding, fling, ling, Ming, ping, ring, sing, sling, spring, sting, string, swing, thing, wing, wring, zing