lackey

American  

[lak-ee] / ˈlæk i /

Or lacquey

noun

plural

lackeys

1. a servile follower; toady.

2. a footman or liveried manservant.

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verb (used with object)

lackeyed, lackeying

1. to attend as a lackey does.

lackey British  

/ ˈlækɪ /

noun

1. a servile follower; hanger-on

2. a liveried male servant or valet

3. a person who is treated like a servant

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verb

1. to act as a lackey (to)

Other Word Forms

• unlackeyed adjective

Etymology

Origin of lackey

1520–30; < Middle French laquais, perhaps < Catalan lacayo, alacayo < ?

Example Sentences

“All of his lackeys are lining up to try to make everybody else’s life miserable to make their boss feel good.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He instead delegated the unpleasant task to one of his lackeys, or simply made it known that he wanted the person to quit.

From Salon

“Flummoxed by the lack of resources”—in other words, aware that a penniless Uganda needed to reform or collapse—he “comfortably settled” into the role of Western lackey.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Tell the brother he can stay, but he’s working for us,” Boy Kavalier tells a lackey, characterizing that instruction as “just a reminder that it’s my world. He just lives in it.”

From Salon

A federal judge restrained the department’s unvetted lackeys from accessing payment systems on Saturday morning, emphasizing security and privacy risks.

From Salon