henchman
noun
hench·man
ˈhench-mən 
plural henchmen
1
a
: a trusted follower : a right-hand man
b
: a political follower whose support is chiefly for personal advantage
c
: a member of a gang
2
obsolete
: a squire or page to a person of high rank
Did you know?
The earliest known examples of henchman show it being used as a term for a squire or a page, but the word may have seen earlier use with the meaning "groom." It first appeared in Middle English and is a combination of Old English hengest ("a male horse") and man. One of the duties of a groom, squire, or page to a person of high rank was tending horses, and such a person was relied upon, which influenced the broader senses of henchman including "right-hand man."
Examples of henchman in a Sentence
a gangster surrounded by his henchmen
Recent Examples on the Web
Angel Doll, the henchman assigned to drive Reacher to the lot, is a talker.
—
Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
That means Musk's henchmen are in a position to dig through a trove of data about every taxpayer in America.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025
Vanya runs off and Ani gets stuck tracking him down alongside a quiet, caring henchman (Yura Borisov) in a stirring Cinderella story of hope and human connection.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025
Also starring Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets), Luis Guzmán (Wednesday), and Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Guns Up follows Ray Hayes (James), an ex-cop and devoted husband and father who leads a dangerous double life as a mob henchman.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for henchman
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Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
That means Musk's henchmen are in a position to dig through a trove of data about every taxpayer in America.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025
Vanya runs off and Ani gets stuck tracking him down alongside a quiet, caring henchman (Yura Borisov) in a stirring Cinderella story of hope and human connection.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025
Also starring Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets), Luis Guzmán (Wednesday), and Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Guns Up follows Ray Hayes (James), an ex-cop and devoted husband and father who leads a dangerous double life as a mob henchman.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for henchman
Articles Related to henchman
Cite this Entry
“Henchman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/henchman. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
henchman
noun
hench·man
ˈhench-mən
1
: a trusted follower
2
: a political follower whose support is chiefly for personal advantage
3
: a member of a gang
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