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
The Galactic Emperor’s top henchman and the freedom fighter Luke Skywalker were related?
—
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Their explosive investigation gets even more dangerous as Mike and Marcus must protect murder witness Julie (Téa Leoni) from a French drug kingpin and his deadly henchmen after surviving a shoot-out.
—Rendy Jones, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Clyde, as 1923 viewers now tragically know, is one of Banner Creighton’s (Jerome Flynn) henchmen who was sent to infiltrate the Dutton family and report back for the Yellowstone prequel’s big bad, Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton).
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2025
Iago the Parrot — a top-five henchman who had a redemption arc in The Return of Jafar!
—Darren Franich, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for henchman
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Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Their explosive investigation gets even more dangerous as Mike and Marcus must protect murder witness Julie (Téa Leoni) from a French drug kingpin and his deadly henchmen after surviving a shoot-out.
—Rendy Jones, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Clyde, as 1923 viewers now tragically know, is one of Banner Creighton’s (Jerome Flynn) henchmen who was sent to infiltrate the Dutton family and report back for the Yellowstone prequel’s big bad, Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton).
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2025
Iago the Parrot — a top-five henchman who had a redemption arc in The Return of Jafar!
—Darren Franich, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for henchman
Cite this Entry
“Henchman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/henchman. Accessed 6 May. 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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