right-hand man

American  

noun

1. an indispensable or invaluable assistant; right hand.

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right-hand man Idioms  

1. Also, right-hand woman. A trusted helper, as in Give it to Jill, she's my right-hand man. Based on the idea that in most people the right hand is the stronger of the two, this idiom today usually disregards gender, as in the example. However, in the the 17th and 18th centuries it also meant a soldier in a post of command on the right side of a cavalry unit, and then always denoted a man. [c. 1800]

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Etymology

Origin of right-hand man

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

right-hand man

Secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, Infantino's right-hand man, had been critical in an internal memo to staff, calling the FFE proposals "a sad and reproachable series of events".

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Verdicts are also due in separate corruption trials of Sanchez's former right-hand man Jose Luis Abalos and his brother David Sanchez.

From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026

Jim Kensil, Pete’s right-hand man, summoned my mailroom colleague Peter Hadhazy and me to his office that afternoon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

Guardiola's right-hand man Manel Estiarte, fitness coach Lorenzo Buenaventura and long-serving goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor were all recognised for their contributions too, with the trio also set to depart.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

The other two possibilities are his cousin Ali, and his right-hand man, Abu Bakr.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri