Meanings
plural king posts · alternative kingpost
- A central vertical supporting post used in architecture and bridge as well as in aircraft and ship design.
1 more example
They called him King-Post on board of the Pequod; because, in form, he could be well likened to the short, square timber known by that name in Arctic whalers; and which by the means of many radiating side timbers inserted into it, serves to brace the ship against the icy concussions of those battering seas.
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “chapter 27”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLCSynonyms: collar beam
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA central vertical supporting post used in architecture and bridge as well as in aircraft and ship design.
Cite this entry
king post. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/king%20post
“king post.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/king%20post. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “king post,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/king%20post.
Source: king post on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.