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.
Parents and state attorneys general have not waited for policymakers to act. — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 Carbon intensity gives policymakers a way to pursue both goals without choosing a single technology in advance. — M Douglas Dagan, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Going deeper The official unemployment is so low that Federal Reserve policymakers see it as a signal the economy is at or near full employment, according to a Fortune report by Jason Ma. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 Beijing is likely to further accelerate fiscal spending as policymakers have grown increasingly worried over the collapse in urban investment, said Tianchen Xu, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 31 Aug. 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

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Browse Nearby Words

policy loan
policymaker
policymaking
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Cite this Entry

“Policymaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/policymaker. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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