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

Ellison is said to be a boss who is loyal to his underlings, particularly with his own hires.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Later, Bianco directed his underlings to begin counting those ballots by hand — a potential felony under state law, which forbids anyone other than election officials from so much as touching a ballot container.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of underlings

Noun

That content becomes useful proof for shoppers and a clearer authority signal for AI assistants than another polished brand promo.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Those services usually cover assistants who help people with daily tasks such as bathing, laundry or cooking.

— Ana Ceballos Follow, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of assistants

Noun

No matter how powerful, dictators have always needed subordinates—censors, propagandists, security guards, police officers, intelligence analysts, and local bureaucrats—to carry out their orders.

— Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
Investigators have accused one of his subordinates of running a fraud scheme, though Kravchenko himself has not been charged or named a suspect.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of subordinates

Noun

The program—announced at the Ai Everything conference in the capital–will give government employees hands-on experience with tools such as ChatGPT, Codex, and Microsoft 365 Copilot.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
Keith David, Macon Blair, Killer Mike, Cody Lightning, Siena East, and Michael Hitchcock all return as some of Lee’s Tulsa-area buddies, employees, and resentful acquaintances.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 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

In the previous decades, Japan had brought in many Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese laborers, often under duress, to work in factories and mines, usually in atrocious conditions.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, $12 million will go to a fund supporting out-of-work entertainment industry laborers.

— Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of laborers

Noun

Conflict-of-interest rules may bar some workers and their families from holding certain stocks; the Treasury has moved to ban ESG funds from accounts, but there’s no way for people to keep certain stocks out of their kids’ accounts.

— Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
His father, Amin Mia, 26, said no health workers came to their remote village in Sylhet to offer vaccinations in time.

— Reuters, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of workers

Noun

But the power this concentrates in the hands of one corporation and person – SpaceX and Musk – has raised alarm bells.

— Gerard Toal, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
Mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese and blue cheese in a bowl with gloved hands or in a food processor until blended.

— Candy Hom, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 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.

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“Cogs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cogs. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cogs

noun

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