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
  • Even all the way down in South Florida, plants long dismissed as parasites could turn out to offer benefits to their hosts, and prompt parks and gardeners to rethink when to reach for pruning shears and weedkillers.
    — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Melvin may be tiny, but his spirit is not, and the kitty has beaten all the odds, including two parasites, an upper respiratory infection, and an eye infection.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 21 Aug. 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
  • Next week’s trade deadline, in theory, should shake off a few hangers-on.
    — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 28 July 2026
  • Iyanla Vanzant, the program’s host, chided Holmes for squandering much of her fortune, buying properties and paying allowances to hangers-on.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 28 June 2026
Definition of hangers-on
Noun
  • Wash microfiber towels in hot water after each use and replace sponges frequently.
    — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Skip the paintbrush and add texture to paintings by swapping in sponges, scrubbers, a comb, leaves, flowers, bath poufs, toy cars, LEGO bricks, blocks, cookie cutters, marbles (let kids roll them around with paper in a box), and, of course, fingers.
    — Michelle Crouch, Parents, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of sponges
Noun
  • And as Netanyahu’s coalitions hardened Schleien’s programs became edgier, skewering Netanyahu sycophants in the Likud Party, anti-élitist demagogues, cultic settlers, and rabbinic mandarins.
    — Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Ditto his despicable aides and Cabinet members, his unprincipled sycophants and suck-ups.
    — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2026
Definition of sycophants
Noun
  • The sculpture included Teddy mounted on a striding horse with two lackeys walking on either side.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026
  • After Wally springs her from the Shaw's clutches, the group manages to lure the couple and some of their lackeys into the makeshift particle accelerator trap that former engineer Sam built out of old cathode-ray tube TVs.
    — Megan McCluskey, Time, 21 May 2026
Definition of lackeys
Noun
  • After seven years of no sleep, grief, and nightmares, Suleyman finally reunites with his mother in Paradise—just as henchmen, cops, and one very bad raid drag him back into hell.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2026
  • And so does Jesse — particularly the latest installment, which sees the iconic henchmen find themselves as accidental stars in 1920s Hollywood.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 30 June 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
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Cite this Entry

“Dependents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dependents. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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