ward heeler

noun

: a worker for a political boss in a ward or other local area

Examples of ward heeler in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Clarence Yancey, an old-school political ward heeler in Louisville's West End whose backing was sought by local and statewide politicians for decades, died Sunday, according to his family. Joseph Gerth, The Courier-Journal, 18 July 2022 Smith, an eighth-grade dropout who went to work at 15 to support his widowed mother, was deemed by most a coarse ward heeler beholden to the Tammany Hall satraps who anointed him. Edward Kosner, WSJ, 25 Sep. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ward heeler was in 1888

Dictionary Entries Near ward heeler

Cite this Entry

“Ward heeler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ward%20heeler. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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