COGS Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

cogs

noun

plural of cog

as in underlings

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for cogs

Noun

Rumors of relationships between executives and underlings went around on campus.

— Claire Stapleton, New Yorker, 18 July 2026
France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival gets underway this weekend with Illumination’s Minions & Monsters, the latest movie devoted to the mischievous army of yellow underlings first introduced in 2010 breakout Despicable Me.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 June 2026

Definition of underlings

Noun

The Angels fired former Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux and two of his assistants earlier Tuesday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Another feature is designated office space for the hall director and resident assistants meet with students in an area that is outside of their personal rooms.

— Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of assistants

Noun

Putin has also protected his direct allies while not extending any such shield to younger subordinates.

— Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
The supporting figures are colorful enough, though Akkabi’s sneering chief villain arguably makes less of an impression than his subordinates.

— Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 July 2026

Definition of subordinates

Noun

More damaging, employees gradually learn that raising concerns means navigating the leader's emotional reaction before addressing the actual issue.

— Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Or, that some of those same city employees would set up web cameras so that hundreds of residents could watch the baby falcons grow up in their nest on a ledge outside City Hall.

— Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of employees

Noun

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
Is her team currently full of yes-men high on her supply?

— Bianca Davino, Refinery29, 7 Oct. 2025

Definition of yes-men

Noun

In Jordan, work and residency permits for migrant laborers are linked to a sponsor, usually the employer, under kafala.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 12 Aug. 2026
Gutter length and size Materials are typically priced per linear foot, and more gutters mean more work for laborers, too.

— Nick Perry, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of laborers

Noun

The aid workers who once regularly visited her village to help pregnant women had stopped coming, after foreign aid cuts by the United States shuttered a program aimed at saving mothers’ and babies’ lives.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
The idea is for tech workers to live and work in the same building.

— John Ramos, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of workers

Noun

On Thursday, Clancy loudly sobbed, shuddered and covered her face with her hands as a medical examiner testified about Callan’s autopsy.

— Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Those workers understand what a white-collar reader mostly does not, which is that the moment your knowledge leaves your hands is the moment your leverage leaves with it.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of hands

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“Cogs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cogs. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of cogs

noun

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