policymaker

noun

pol·​i·​cy·​mak·​er ˈpä-lə-sē-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce policymaker (audio)
variants or less commonly policy maker or policy-maker
plural policymakers also policy makers or policy-makers
: someone who is responsible for or involved in establishing policy
economic policymakers
He had been a policymaker under four Republican and Democratic Presidents and had spent years on Capitol Hill fencing with congressional committees and lobbying for votes.—William Greider

Examples of policymaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This matters more than ever now as educators, youth, parents, and policymakers are grappling with the real-world impacts of screen time for young people. — Lauren Barr, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026 After three months of solid job growth and rising inflation, there is growing consensus among Fed policymakers for a hike later this year. — Rachel Barber, USA Today, 29 June 2026 South Africa already hiked its interest rate by 25 -basis points last month, as policymakers grappled with the global energy shock. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 29 June 2026 My research shows what can be gained – by policymakers and the broader public – from detailed environmental data and highlights what is lost when it’s not collected. — Mark Axelrod, The Conversation, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for policymaker

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of policymaker was in 1868

Rhymes for policymaker

See All Rhymes for policymaker

Browse Nearby Words

policy loan
policymaker
policymaking
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Policymaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/policymaker. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on policymaker

Nglish: Translation of policymaker for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All