as in employee
one who works for another for wages or a salary
demanded to speak to the store's owner and not one of his hirelings
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hireling
To pretend otherwise in the year 2024 is all-but to out oneself as a hireling.
—
Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 12 Feb. 2024
No refuge could save the hireling and slave.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 30 June 2021
Neither should some assistant DA hireling be allowed to forgo appropriate punishment under state law.
—Star Tribune, 8 Dec. 2020
Like Sade, Epstein had hirelings to procure his victims.
—Mitchell Abidor, The New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2020
Not since Carson Palmer has one of Mike Brown’s hirelings had the emperor in such a headlock.
—Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 2 Jan. 2018
This dangerous idea is being pushed by Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, a U.S. contracting firm whose private security hirelings famously shot up civilians in Baghdad.
—Trudy Rubin, Philly.com, 18 Aug. 2017
Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 12 Feb. 2024
No refuge could save the hireling and slave.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE.com, 30 June 2021
Neither should some assistant DA hireling be allowed to forgo appropriate punishment under state law.
—Star Tribune, 8 Dec. 2020
Like Sade, Epstein had hirelings to procure his victims.
—Mitchell Abidor, The New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2020
Not since Carson Palmer has one of Mike Brown’s hirelings had the emperor in such a headlock.
—Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 2 Jan. 2018
This dangerous idea is being pushed by Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, a U.S. contracting firm whose private security hirelings famously shot up civilians in Baghdad.
—Trudy Rubin, Philly.com, 18 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hireling
Noun
-
The cuts are required because of employee pay raises, including 23% hikes over three years that were awarded to most workers in 2023, and relatively sluggish growth in city revenue.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In addition to just being able to identify your luggage to an airline employee, photos also provide peace of mind and evidence for insurance purposes, should anything happen to your bag and what’s inside it.—
Bailey Berg,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In some cases, these workers fell below the threshold of hours needed to qualify for health benefits.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Here’s hoping that Nitehawk’s union-busting management learns from Alamo’s fatal self-own, signs a mutually respectful contract with its workers, and continues to provide a blessedly phone-free theatrical experience.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hireling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hireling. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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