Meaning & use
king
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A man who rules a country as head of state, usually from a royal family.
Grammar: Capitalized before a name: King Henry; the king of Spain.
Patterns
- king of somewhere
- King + name
The king waved to the crowd from the palace balcony.
King Charles III became monarch in 2022.
In the story, the king lost his crown in a storm.
nouncountablefigurative
A man or thing that is the most powerful or successful in a particular area.
Grammar: Followed by of plus a field: the king of pop.
Patterns
- the king of something
Many fans call him the king of country music.
Rice is the king of grains in much of Asia.
The lion is often named king of the jungle.
nouncountable
The most important piece in chess, which must be protected from checkmate.
Grammar: Not capitalized when it names the piece: move your king.
Patterns
- king in check
She moved her king out of danger.
You lose the game when your king is trapped.
A bishop alone cannot checkmate the opposing king.
nouncountable
A playing card showing a king, ranking above the queen.
Grammar: Usually named with a suit: the king of hearts.
Patterns
- king of a suit
He played the king of spades and won the trick.
I held two kings and an ace.
The king of diamonds slid under the table.
Word forms
| plural | kings |
|---|
Common combinations
- crown a king
- They crowned the new king in the cathedral.
- the king and queen
- The king and queen greeted every guest.
- reigning king
- The reigning king is popular with young people.
- king of the hill
- He loved being king of the hill at school.
- king-size bed
- The hotel room had a king-size bed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- monarch
- Monarch is a general word covering kings and queens, while king is specifically male.
- sovereign
- Sovereign is formal and stresses supreme authority, not gender.
- ruler
- Ruler can mean anyone with power, including presidents, while king means a royal ruler.
- emperor
- Emperor suggests rule over many peoples or lands, and sounds grander than king.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: king or queen?
king vs queen
A queen is a female monarch or the wife of a king; a king is male.
Practice
Which sentence uses king in a figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
Calling a famous player the king of soccer means the best in the field. The other sentences refer to a ruler, a card and a chess piece.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “king”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.