COGS Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

cogs

noun

plural of cog

as in underlings

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cogs

Noun

Giamatti makes Jerry ferocious but not monstruous, a man who certainly likes barking orders at various underlings but loves making good theater even more.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
One of Driscoll’s underlings, Deputy Undersecretary Dave Fitzgerald, is also leaving, The Wall Street Journal reported.

— Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of underlings

Noun

That led Broncos assistants Joe Lombardi and Pete Carmichael, two former Saints coaches, to quietly reach out to Brees.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
At the Stadium of Light on Saturday though, referee John Brooks was on his own, as his assistants were in no position to help.

— Graham Scott, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of assistants

Noun

Many Hindus today identify as Shaivas, Vaishnavas, or Shaktas, sectarian groups that, respectively, worship Shiva, Vishnu, or Shakti as supreme, with all other deities considered as manifestations or subordinates.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
The judge found that the three did, in fact, violate the charter, which states that council members may not interfere with appointments or removals in the city manager’s office, or give orders to the city manager’s subordinates.

— Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of subordinates

Noun

Today, the paper operates with about 50 full-time employees and freelancers, a major decline from years past when the staff was in the hundreds.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
The restaurant said employees who worked that day were vaccinated against the disease and being monitored.

— Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of employees

Noun

Surrounding yourself with a bunch of yes-men is not a recipe for success—at least according to AT&T CEO John Stankey.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
High-profile right-wing accounts that previously served as yes-men for Musk—such as Ian Miles Cheong, a Malaysian who purportedly lives in the United Arab Emirates and posts incessant, racist drivel about American politics—have melted down over the platform’s decision to dox users.

— Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 24 Nov. 2025

Definition of yes-men

Noun

For example, an investor could search for cities in the Sunbelt, the Midwest or specialized college towns experiencing steady inbound migration of young professionals and hybrid workers.

— Justin Donald, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
According to new Gallup polling, 27% of US workers worry that technology will render their jobs obsolete, a new high.

— Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of workers

Noun

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, also opposed Mamdani's attendance, though the two shook hands there Friday.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, also inveighed against Mamdani attending the remembrance, though the two shook hands there Friday.

— Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of hands

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cogs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cogs. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of cogs

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

watershed

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes