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Definition of henchman
1 obsolete : a squire or page to a person of high rank
2a : a trusted follower : a right-hand manb : a political follower whose support is chiefly for personal advantagec : a member of a gang
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Examples of henchman in a Sentence
a gangster surrounded by his henchmen
Recent Examples of henchman from the Web
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Pressed back into action, the cool killer survives a series of violent battles with henchmen who still haven't grasped the concept of attacking him at the same time.
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Now to get him back, Joe’s going to need all her wits, as well as those gunfighting skills, to outmaneuver Tom and his menacing henchmen.
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With Nixon (and future Trump) henchman Roger Stone unavailable, Solicitor General Robert Bork was carted over to the White House by limousine to do Nixon’s wet work.
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The episode begins with Yuri, Meemo and the new henchmen constructing their bus-flipping apparatus on the road.
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Trump backers, such as Trump henchman Chris Christie, assert that Trump was simply unaware of the rules and traditions and expectations.
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During that long manhunt, Bin Laden and his henchmen were constantly splitting their focus between eluding capture and committing fresh atrocities.
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According to various speculation, Rich was killed by the DNC, or by the Russians, or by Hillary Clinton’s henchmen after leaking DNC documents to Wikileaks.
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Aside from a few decent sight gags and a clever bit where Mitch battles a fleeing henchman hiding in a little girl’s bedroom, leading the combatants to attack each other with the dainty décor at hand, the dated humor falls flat.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'henchman'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
The earliest known examples of henchman in written English 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 at the beginning of the 15th century and is a combination of Old English hengest ("a male horse") and man. In the late 1700s, henchman began to be used for the personal attendant of a Scottish Highland chief. This sense, made familiar to many English readers by Sir Walter Scott, led to the word's use in the broader sense of "right-hand man," which in turn evolved into the other meanings.
Origin and Etymology of henchman
Middle English henshman, hengestman groom, from hengest stallion (from Old English) + man; akin to Old High German hengist gelding
HENCHMAN Defined for English Language Learners
henchman
playDefinition of henchman for English Language Learners
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: a trusted follower or supporter who performs unpleasant, wrong, or illegal tasks for a powerful person (such as a politician or criminal)
HENCHMAN Defined for Kids
henchman
playDefinition of henchman for Students
henchmen
\-mən\: a trusted follower or supporter and especially someone who performs unpleasant or illegal tasks
Learn More about henchman
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See words that rhyme with henchman Spanish Central: Translation of henchman Nglish: Translation of henchman for Spanish speakers
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