king of the hill

plural kings of the hill

1. idiomaticuncountableA 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. broadlyidiomaticvideo gamesA game mode with the goal of assuming control of an area for a specified duration.
3. countableidiomaticThe player in this game who stands atop the hill.
4. broadlyidiomaticA person who is meanwhile in leading position in an ongoing competition.
5. broadlyidiomaticA 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.

   1 more example

   I wanna wake up / In a city that doesn't sleep / And find I'm king of the hill / Top of the heap

   1980, “New York, New York”, Fred Ebb (lyrics), John Kander (music), performed by Frank Sinatra

   Synonyms: king of the castle, King of the Jungle, baron, big cheese, big enchilada, big gun, big kahuna, big man