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
Before the mole can get much info from her mark, however, top Harrigan henchman Paul (Emmett J. Scanlan) arrives.
—
EW.com, 11 May 2025
In a parked car, erotic dancer Ani (Mikey Madison) straddles Igor (Yura Borisov), the Russian henchman who’s been her undesired shadow for a couple of very long, very stressful days.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
Vanya flees the scene, leaving Ani alone to fight off the henchmen who inevitably abduct her and bring her along on their search for Vanya.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 3 Mar. 2025
If Trump wanted to relieve Adams from his criminal indictment, the president could simply have pardoned the mayor, instead his henchman Emil Bove concocted a scheme to temporarily suspend the case against Adams provided the mayor went along with the Trump immigration agenda.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for henchman
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EW.com, 11 May 2025
In a parked car, erotic dancer Ani (Mikey Madison) straddles Igor (Yura Borisov), the Russian henchman who’s been her undesired shadow for a couple of very long, very stressful days.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025
Vanya flees the scene, leaving Ani alone to fight off the henchmen who inevitably abduct her and bring her along on their search for Vanya.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 3 Mar. 2025
If Trump wanted to relieve Adams from his criminal indictment, the president could simply have pardoned the mayor, instead his henchman Emil Bove concocted a scheme to temporarily suspend the case against Adams provided the mayor went along with the Trump immigration agenda.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 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 29 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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