yes-man
noun
a person who, regardless of actual attitude, always expresses agreement with their supervisor, superior, etc.; sycophant.
Showing results for yes-man.
yes-man
American
[yes-man]
/ ˈjɛsˌmæn /
noun
-
yes-men
plural
yes man
British
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of yes-man
First recorded in 1910–15
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:
Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial, expects Warsh is unlikely to "act as a yes-man" for the president.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
It appeared that Lurie and Roseman chose a yes-man coach and a placeholder quarterback in preparation for a long, dreary rebuilding cycle.
From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2021
On the wholesome 1990s sitcom, Diamond embodied the ultimate yes-man sidekick who executed preppy Zack Morris’ most harebrained ideas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2021
Neither is the casual crassness of his yes-man sidekick, despite all the quirky cornball gestures Stephen Russell Murray works in.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 28, 2016
How many times had I gone there to be his sidekick and his yes-man, to tell him what he wanted to hear?
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
“If somebody asks for a drink, I’m a yes man, as we all should be behind the bar,” she says.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2024
Many thought he would be a "yes" man, cowering in the shadow of his powerful boss.
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2023
“You can’t be a yes man to yourself,” he said, “or you’re never going to get better.”
From Washington Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
This is a guy that will be the ultimate yes man to the front office and LeBron James.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2022
"Yes, Anthony," said he; "yes, man alive; there's kindness in that."
From The Black Baronet; or, The Chronicles Of Ballytrain The Works of William Carleton, Volume One by William Carleton
A crib of yes-men limits how big he can grow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
Alice Perkins, who chaired the Post Office at the time and faced a second day of questioning by lawyers on Thursday, denied that Ms Vennells had surrounded herself with "yes-men and yes-women".
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2024
The excerpt makes clear that Mr. Trump did not always get the yes-men that he wanted.
From New York Times ● Aug. 8, 2022
I am curious and listen to a lot of people, and I like differing opinions so that I’m not just talking to a bunch of yes-men.
From The Verge ● Jun. 21, 2022
Winstein didn't want yes-men around him; he wanted men who could and would think.
From By Proxy by H. R. van Dongen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
