henchman
noun
hench·man ˈhench-mən 
plural henchmen
1
a
: a trusted follower : a right-hand man
b
: a political follower whose support is chiefly for personal advantage
c
: a member of a gang
2
obsolete : a squire or page to a person of high rank
Did you know?
The earliest known examples of henchman show it being used as a term for a squire or a page, but the word may have seen earlier use with the meaning "groom." It first appeared in Middle English and is a combination of Old English hengest ("a male horse") and man. One of the duties of a groom, squire, or page to a person of high rank was tending horses, and such a person was relied upon, which influenced the broader senses of henchman including "right-hand man."
Example Sentences
a gangster surrounded by his henchmen
Recent Examples on the Web Jackie’s transformation from a scary henchman-type character to the confident and competitive cool kid that Craig is getting to know now can be attributed to this collaborative spirit. 
Tracy Brownstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2022 Unlike the cows in George Orwell’s novel, who are mistreated by a neglectful farmer and then duped by a tyrannical pig and his brainwashed henchman, Animal Farm was built on a basis of respect for their animals. Noah Lederman, Bon Appétit, 9 June 2022 Remember that Trump henchman and convicted felon Roger Stone had a relationship with the Proud Boys and with another extremist group, the Oath Keepers, many of whose members are also indicted for crimes related to January 6. Maya Wiley, The New Republic, 9 June 2022 Moses stars in the show as Inquisitor Reva, a force-sensitive henchman for the the big bad Grand Inquisitor who seeks out Jedi-in-hiding for the Empire. Zack Sharf, Variety, 24 May 2022 The first was a quick line from Bek,Anton Mogart's henchman, about a previous trip to Madripoor with Marc Spector's adventurous wife, Layla. Evan Romano, Men's Health, 18 Apr. 2022 The mufti’s son, Ramzan Kadyrov, became Mr. Putin’s chief henchman and has supplied Chechen fighters to support Russian forces in the wars in Syria and now Ukraine. New York Times, 29 Mar. 2022 Not the socioeconomic protests of people not being able to put food on their plates or the security services not being paid to do their henchman activity and suppress peaceful protests. Kk Ottesen, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2022 Cage, 58, is hard at work playing iconic vampire Dracula in Universal's Renfield opposite The Great's Nicholas Hoult, who stars as the titular Renfield, a henchman of the villainous monster in Bram Stoker's original 1897 novel, Dracula. Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE.com, 23 Mar. 2022 See More
Tracy Brownstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2022 Unlike the cows in George Orwell’s novel, who are mistreated by a neglectful farmer and then duped by a tyrannical pig and his brainwashed henchman, Animal Farm was built on a basis of respect for their animals. Noah Lederman, Bon Appétit, 9 June 2022 Remember that Trump henchman and convicted felon Roger Stone had a relationship with the Proud Boys and with another extremist group, the Oath Keepers, many of whose members are also indicted for crimes related to January 6. Maya Wiley, The New Republic, 9 June 2022 Moses stars in the show as Inquisitor Reva, a force-sensitive henchman for the the big bad Grand Inquisitor who seeks out Jedi-in-hiding for the Empire. Zack Sharf, Variety, 24 May 2022 The first was a quick line from Bek,Anton Mogart's henchman, about a previous trip to Madripoor with Marc Spector's adventurous wife, Layla. Evan Romano, Men's Health, 18 Apr. 2022 The mufti’s son, Ramzan Kadyrov, became Mr. Putin’s chief henchman and has supplied Chechen fighters to support Russian forces in the wars in Syria and now Ukraine. New York Times, 29 Mar. 2022 Not the socioeconomic protests of people not being able to put food on their plates or the security services not being paid to do their henchman activity and suppress peaceful protests. Kk Ottesen, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2022 Cage, 58, is hard at work playing iconic vampire Dracula in Universal's Renfield opposite The Great's Nicholas Hoult, who stars as the titular Renfield, a henchman of the villainous monster in Bram Stoker's original 1897 novel, Dracula. Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE.com, 23 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English henshman, hengestman groom, from hengest stallion (from Old English) + man; akin to Old High German hengist gelding
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Kids Definition
henchman
noun
hench·man ˈhench-mən
plural henchmen
-mən
: a trusted follower or supporter and especially someone who performs unpleasant or illegal tasks
henchman
noun
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- minion
- disciple
- soldier
- lackey
- follower
- toady
- pupil
- stooge
- sycophant
- apparatchik
- lickspittle
- flunkie
- flunkey
- flunky
- myrmidon
- satellite
- acolyte
- supporter
- loyalist
- adherent
- apostle
- missionary
- student
- yes-man
- hanger-on
- devotee
- camp follower
- protégé
- admirer
- fan
- epigone
- votary
- partizan
- partisan
- liege man
- proselytizer
- faithful
- idolator
- convert
- advocate
- votarist
- champion
- ideologist
- cultist
- backer
- sectarian
- ideologue
- scholar
- idealogue
- zealot
- enthusiast
- worshipper
- idolater
- worshiper
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- traitor
- turncoat
- renegade
- defector
- apostate
- leader
- coryphaeus