henchman
Americannoun
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henchmen
plural
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an unscrupulous and ruthless subordinate, especially a criminal.
The leader of the gang went everywhere accompanied by his henchmen.
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an unscrupulous supporter or adherent of a political figure or cause, especially one motivated by the hope of personal gain.
Hitler and his henchmen.
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a trusted attendant, supporter, or follower.
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Obsolete. a squire or page.
noun
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a faithful attendant or supporter
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archaic a squire; page
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of henchman
1325–75; Middle English henchman, henshman, henksman, hengestman, Old English hengest stallion (cognate with German Hengst ) + man man
Vocabulary lists containing henchman
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In 1932 she reported on the libel trial brought against Hitler by a former Nazi henchman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
His henchman Stephen Miller does know how to produce a florid turn of phrase, doesn't he?
From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2025
The scene in which Anderson single-handedly faces down both the corrupt deputy and the Klan’s most murderous henchman is a master class in range.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025
He landed the part of a henchman working for Robbie Coltrane's Russian gangster character.
From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2025
“I’m leaving. Your henchman has terrified me completely. I shall never make the mistake of even passing by this vile pigsty.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Multiple battles with Claudius’ henchmen pepper Scarlet and Hijiri’s journey, as does an encounter with the United Nations of this place: a group of wandering nomads from around the world who’ve come together for companionship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
To keep up the “Hamlet” ties, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern show up, as a pair of henchmen trying to stop Scarlet, and there are cameos by Laertes and his father, Polonius.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
In her texts, she described how she feared one of al-Millah's henchmen, whom she called "Abdulah".
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2025
Also, we suspect that Adam Gelb has been wearing a bat costume at night to conduct citizen’s arrests of various burglars and henchmen.
From Slate ● Jul. 26, 2025
They were so grateful, they’d take me personally to the police to report the boat master, Jack of Diamonds, and his henchmen, and make sure I got home safely.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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