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:
Bobby is a yes-man extraordinaire, telling Dina exactly what she wants to hear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
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 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
Keegan-Michael Key plays Jake’s obsequious yes-man; John Leguizamo his nervous chopper pilot; and Tyler Mane is an ax-wielding, nonverbal giant.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 5, 2019
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
"If I was a yes man, I would have been gone long ago. We have just got that honesty in the relationship between us that we can be blunt and straight-talking when needed."
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2024
“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, yes, man, and there'll be bits o' furniture and things to get.
From Stories of the Foot-hills by Margaret Collier Graham
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
He prefers the illusion of power offered by genuflecting yes-men over the hard work involved in gaining real power and exercising it.
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2024
Jake is sad, the documentary suggests, because he’s surrounded by yes-men who end up betraying him.
From The Verge ● Oct. 17, 2018
Fred Dunmore is accustomed to dealing with a lot of yes-men at the plant; you shouldn't have any trouble shouting him down.
From Murder in the Gunroom by H. Beam Piper
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