as in minion
disapproving
a trusted follower or supporter who performs unpleasant, wrong, or illegal tasks for a powerful person (such as a politician or criminal)
a gangster surrounded by his henchmen
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of henchman
Kent has shown up at Gloucester’s castle and runs into Goneril’s steward/henchman, Oswald.
—
Nan Z. Da
june 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
Noni finds herself up against Lion’s violent henchmen and women in series of fight-to-the-death encounters aboard the tyrant’s grandiose sailing ship, which lies at the heart of a vast naval fleet.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 June 2025
My henchman is played by James Landry Hébert, who is a dear friend.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2025
Now that the smoke has risen, here's how to stream the movie 'Conclave'
Tony Sirico, who died in 2022, played Gualtieri, Tony Soprano's eccentric and paranoid henchman, for all six seasons of the hit HBO mob show.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for henchman
Nan Z. Da
june 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
Noni finds herself up against Lion’s violent henchmen and women in series of fight-to-the-death encounters aboard the tyrant’s grandiose sailing ship, which lies at the heart of a vast naval fleet.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 June 2025
My henchman is played by James Landry Hébert, who is a dear friend.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2025
Now that the smoke has risen, here's how to stream the movie 'Conclave'
Tony Sirico, who died in 2022, played Gualtieri, Tony Soprano's eccentric and paranoid henchman, for all six seasons of the hit HBO mob show.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for henchman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for henchman
Noun
-
Her niftiest fight sequence looks like abstract art: a stark black-and-white aerial pan of her shadow battling minions down a hallway.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
-
Negan banished him and seized control of the Dama’s minions.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
8 June 2025
Noun
-
Then-Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells walked out the door to the field and started staring at his disciple.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
12 June 2025
-
His final highlights came with George Clinton, his most outspoken disciple, on Funkadelic’s 1981 The Electric Spanking of War Babies.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
His Telegram channel, followed by around half a million users, regularly features narrated footage of drones tracking and killing Russian soldiers.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
-
The biggest revelation in both movies is that throughout the war Lucas had heroin shipped to the U.S. from Vietnam in coffins containing dead soldiers.—
Steve Bloom,
HollywoodReporter,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Henchman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/henchman. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share