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

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

Prevented from running in the last presidential election due to a defamation conviction, Sonko had designated his right-hand man, Faye, to replace him in the race.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

Dr. Ralph Abraham, his right-hand man at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recently shrugged off rising measles cases, saying that losing our elimination status was simply the “cost of doing business.”

From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026

"We became quite silent when we found the first bone," he said, adding that there were several pointers indicating that the skeleton belonged to the Sun King's right-hand man.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026

Surely Black, as Voldemort’s right-hand man, would be just as frightened of him?

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling