as in subordinate
one who is of lower rank and typically under the authority of another
the real estate tycoon has a whole army of underlings to attend to the details
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of underling
Yet whenever Bunny turns away from Frank to take a call from one of his underlings about the day-to-day violence and ugliness of their industry, a somewhat disdainful look passes across Frank’s face.
—
Noel Murray, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
Duncan, Kemp, and GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger resisted efforts by the president, his underlings, and some GOP state legislators to reverse former President Joe Biden’s Georgia win by appointing an alternate slate of electors.
—Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
Like his Washington, Bargatze’s Farnsworth regaled a trio of underlings (SNL cast members Bowen Yang, Mikey Day, and James Austin Johnson) with ridiculous yet accurate predictions for the future, in this case of TV.
—Judy Berman, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
When his underlings spew hate about the Golden State on Fox News and social media?
—Gustavo Arellano, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underling
Noel Murray, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
Duncan, Kemp, and GOP Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger resisted efforts by the president, his underlings, and some GOP state legislators to reverse former President Joe Biden’s Georgia win by appointing an alternate slate of electors.
—Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
Like his Washington, Bargatze’s Farnsworth regaled a trio of underlings (SNL cast members Bowen Yang, Mikey Day, and James Austin Johnson) with ridiculous yet accurate predictions for the future, in this case of TV.
—Judy Berman, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
When his underlings spew hate about the Golden State on Fox News and social media?
—Gustavo Arellano, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underling
Noun
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The Labor Department inspector general's office has interviewed staff in connection with the investigation, which followed a complaint that Chavez-DeRemer was having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and abusing her office.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Jan. 2026
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Quarterbacks who have attained a certain status understandably don’t want to start over as subordinates, be assigned grunt work and wait in line for promotions.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Though many high-profile cases went nowhere, the case of Hitler’s henchman Martin Bormann is exemplary in showing how inefficient Argentina was in its investigations.—
Solly Boussidan,
FOXNews.com,
18 Jan. 2026
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Lawyers nationwide condemned White House henchman Stephen Miller for his false, provocative claims that ICE agents have immunity for their acts.—
Jackie Calmes,
Mercury News,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
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His latest lesson was giving the finger to a worker at a Michigan auto plant who yelled at him for his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, thereby giving license to his minions to do the same in any conflict or disagreement.—
Bob Kustra,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
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In truth, Musk and his DOGE minions mined Social Security data possibly for private purposes, while working to undermine confidence in the program.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Underling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underling. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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