king of the hill

Noun

king of the hill (plural kings of the hill)

1. (uncountable) A children's game in which one player stands on top of a hill or other location atop an incline, and attempts to repel other players whose goal is to capture his position.
   • He twisted his ankle while playing king of the hill and was not allowed to play again.

   Synonyms:

   king of the castle

2. (countable) The player in this game who stands atop the hill.
3. (broadly, idiomatic) A person who is meanwhile in leading position in an ongoing competition.
4. (broadly, idiomatic) A person who has achieved a measure of success and is considered to be a leader in his field or otherwise dominant (for example, the dominating criminal in a region).
   • He was considered a renegade in journalism until he won the Pulitzer Prize, but now he is the king of the hill.

   Synonyms:

   king of the castle, King of the Jungle, baron, big cheese, big enchilada, big gun, big kahuna, big man, big name, big noise