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
His henchmen quickly followed suit.
—
Danny Makki, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Over eight episodes, the brothers find themselves at the mercy of Mancuso — a former family friend — and his vicious henchmen, and they are forced to confront the emotional scars of growing up with an alcoholic father, who had gambled away his own restaurant.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2025
In broad daylight, a presidential henchman openly threatened to inflict financial pain in retribution for speech the leader doesn't like.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Those Arabs who dared to cooperate with British efforts to restore peace faced death at the hands of his henchmen.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for henchman
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Danny Makki, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Over eight episodes, the brothers find themselves at the mercy of Mancuso — a former family friend — and his vicious henchmen, and they are forced to confront the emotional scars of growing up with an alcoholic father, who had gambled away his own restaurant.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2025
In broad daylight, a presidential henchman openly threatened to inflict financial pain in retribution for speech the leader doesn't like.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Those Arabs who dared to cooperate with British efforts to restore peace faced death at the hands of his henchmen.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 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 22 Oct. 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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