What does kingpin mean?
Kingpin is a noun for a person or thing that holds great importance within a group, organization, team, or process. Figuratively, calling someone a kingpin suggests that they are not merely influential but central to the operation or success of the whole enterprise: without them, progress may be much harder or impossible. The word can also refer more broadly to a crucial component, such as a company, system, or idea, and is sometimes used to emphasize the central figure of a team or delegation. Although the mechanical meaning survives, modern usage is dominated by the figurative sense. Kingpin combines the ideas of a king, suggesting leadership and authority, with a pin, suggesting something that holds a structure together. The result is a useful word for describing an indispensable person or element, while carrying the additional implication that they may possess considerable power or control.
nounA person or thing regarded as the leader, central figure, or indispensable element of a group, organization, or activity. In a technical sense, a kingpin is a central pivot or fastening pin that allows part of a machine to turn.
- A person who is the leader, central figure, or indispensable member of a group or organization.
- A person, organization, or thing that is crucial to the success or operation of something.
- A central pivot or fastening pin in a machine.
"With her negotiating skills, she became the kingpin of the entire delegation."
"The experienced goalkeeper was the kingpin of the championship-winning team."
"The engineer checked the kingpin before testing the steering assembly."
The standard plural is formed by adding -s.
"The two kingpins of the partnership negotiated the merger."
A kingpin may not rule a kingdom, but it can hold an entire organization together.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of kingpin
Kingpin is an English compound formed from the words king and pin. Its older use referred to a central or pivotal pin in a mechanism, and the figurative sense developed from the idea of something that holds an entire structure together. Today, the figurative meaning—someone or something essential to the working of a group or system—is much more common than the mechanical one.
How kingpin is actually used
The figurative sense is common in standard English and implies both importance and influence. It can sometimes sound informal or metaphorical, especially when describing a person whose power and indispensability are being emphasized.
Easily confused with kingpin
Both can figuratively mean a crucial person or thing, but a linchpin is literally a pin securing a wheel or similar mechanism, whereas a kingpin is a central pivot or fastening pin.