stooge

1 of 2

noun

ˈstüj 

1

a

: one who plays a subordinate or compliant role to a principal

a gangster and his stooges

b

: puppet sense 3

just a stooge for the pharmaceutical industry

2

: straight man

3

: stool pigeon sense 1

stooge

2 of 2

verb

stooged; stooging

intransitive verb

: to act as a stooge

… Congressmen who stooge for the oil and mineral interests …

—New Republic

Examples of stooge in a Sentence

Noun

a gangster and his stooges

He's just a stooge for the oil industry.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The unlikely source is Enervate’s company stooge corporate strategist, Ken Davies (Tim Key), a moron by any measure. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026

On occasion, Pitaro has sent a PR stooge to call me names off the record. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

Verb

Flynn, who is consistently ignored by Wu and her stooges on the council, will no doubt find his ordinance filed to some obscure committee and left to die. — Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 19 Feb. 2026

The fake Americano hid under the ring but Tessitore stooged him out. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1939, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stooge

• huge
• kluge
• scrooge
• centrifuge
• febrifuge
• subterfuge
• ultracentrifuge

Kids Definition

stooge

noun

ˈstüj

1

: one who follows or serves another without thinking

2

: an actor who usually by asking questions prepares the way for a principal comedian's jokes

stooge verb