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
Kent has shown up at Gloucester’s castle and runs into Goneril’s steward/henchman, Oswald.
—
Nan Z. Da
june 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
Noni finds herself up against Lion’s violent henchmen and women in series of fight-to-the-death encounters aboard the tyrant’s grandiose sailing ship, which lies at the heart of a vast naval fleet.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 June 2025
My henchman is played by James Landry Hébert, who is a dear friend.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2025
Now that the smoke has risen, here's how to stream the movie 'Conclave'
Tony Sirico, who died in 2022, played Gualtieri, Tony Soprano's eccentric and paranoid henchman, for all six seasons of the hit HBO mob show.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for henchman
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Nan Z. Da
june 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
Noni finds herself up against Lion’s violent henchmen and women in series of fight-to-the-death encounters aboard the tyrant’s grandiose sailing ship, which lies at the heart of a vast naval fleet.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 June 2025
My henchman is played by James Landry Hébert, who is a dear friend.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2025
Now that the smoke has risen, here's how to stream the movie 'Conclave'
Tony Sirico, who died in 2022, played Gualtieri, Tony Soprano's eccentric and paranoid henchman, for all six seasons of the hit HBO mob show.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 May 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 17 Jun. 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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