king of the hill

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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.

   Synonym: king of the castle

2. (countable) The player in this game who stands atop the hill.
3. (idiomatic, by extension) A person who has achieved a measure of success and is considered to be a leader in his field.

   He was considered a renegade in journalism until he won the Pulitzer Prize, but now he is the king of the hill.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:important person