yes-man
noun
a person who, regardless of actual attitude, always expresses agreement with their supervisor, superior, etc.; sycophant.
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:
Rosenior admitted when he was hired that he needed to hit the ground running to silence the critics who claimed that he would be a yes-man for the Chelsea hierarchy.
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
It is a potential pitfall for Rosenior to be wary of given that, as a recruit from Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital's other club Strasbourg, he could easily be labelled a yes-man.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 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
As Screech, Diamond embodied the ultimate yes-man sidekick who executed preppy Zack Morris’ most harebrained ideas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2021
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
“Raisi was a yes man, and his unimpressiveness was sort of the point,” said Arash Azizi, a historian who focuses on Iran and lectures at Clemson University in South Carolina.
From New York Times ● May 21, 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
And Barney was just a yes man, constantly on the wrong side of Fred's bullying.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2022
Yes, yes, man, she is my wife, safe and sound—but where is she?
From By Berwen Banks by Allen Raine
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
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
Likewise, many rich people surround themselves with yes-men, perhaps unintentionally.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2021
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.
