dependents

noun

plural of dependent
as in parasites

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dependents
  1. parasites
  2. freeloaders
  3. leeches
  4. hangers-on
  5. sponges
  6. sycophants
  7. lackeys
  8. henchmen
Noun
  • Different parasites have evolved different ways to interfere with those systems.
    — Tara Deans, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The intestinal parasites feast on their hosts, sucking valuable nutrients from mammals.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of parasites
Noun
  • Hookworms are freeloaders that live at the host’s expense inside their gut, drinking about two drops of blood per day.
    — Jay Kakade August 05, Refractor, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The wide-open scam enriched Haitian freeloaders as Bonheur personally netted a million bucks in just two years after Joe Biden rang the dinner bell for every grifter in the Third World.
    — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026
Definition of freeloaders
Noun
  • The lightning-fast process leeches out flavor and compromises textures, and can produce bland, mushy results.
    — Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 June 2026
  • The fact is that leeches are relished by everything from walleyes and bass to trout and all the panfish.
    — Byron W. Dalrymple, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026
Definition of leeches
Noun
  • He’s surrounded by hangers-on, speaks with an oblique, affectless wisdom, and is named Harlow (rearrange the letters).
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • In late August, the hotel turns into a red-carpet event for celebrities, stars of the silver screen, and various hangers-on at the Venice Film Festival to which the Excelsior is inexorably linked, now enjoying its 10th decade.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of hangers-on
Noun
  • Sadly for Tom, one of the two sponges in his cake tastes more like swamp water than pistachio, knocking him out of the running for his fourth Star Baker.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
  • But Mitts wine sponges, designed first and foremost for cleaning delicate glassware, offer a great reason to pay attention to the small stuff.
    — Editors of Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of sponges
Noun
  • The sycophants sat on their hands while their constituents suffered.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Having been given countless opportunities to make their names in history as the conscience of the GOP, the six members of Arkansas' congressional delegation chose for the past decade to instead be Trump sycophants.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of sycophants
Noun
  • For Burr, that his character, in reality, had been replaced by corporate lackeys explains so much of what’s wrong with the world.
    — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2026
  • These are perfunctory roles by definition, so lackeys of one kind or another are often favored.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of lackeys
Noun
  • Crosby can… um… provide funny reaction shots when henchmen get killed!
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
  • One of the villain’s henchmen was a small, shaggy blue creature with a long drooping snout and a sour expression that lived in a cigar box.
    — Niranjana Rajalakshmi, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of henchmen
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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dependent
dependents
depending
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Cite this Entry

“Dependents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dependents. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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