as in minions
disapproving
a trusted follower or supporter who performs unpleasant, wrong, or illegal tasks for a powerful person (such as a politician or criminal)
a gangster surrounded by his henchmen
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Recent Examples of henchmen
Now, Lilith must team up with Cinderella to fight biker trolls, outrun evil henchmen, and escape the Screaming Woods.
—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
23 June 2026
Launched in early 1982, the original MOTU line-up saw He-Man and Skeletor joined by heroes Teela (at this point, the only female character), Man-at-Arms and Stratos; the morally ambiguous Zodac; and a couple of Skeletor's henchmen, Beast Man and Mer-Man.
—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
The remoteness of their surroundings is no accident; one of these characters is fleeing an inconvenient past, which returns with a vengeance in the form of a beefy sadist (Benoît Magimel) and his two hostage-taking henchmen.
—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 May 2026
Competing alongside two Americans, Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly), Lee methodically dispatches Han’s henchmen and avenges his sister’s death in the process.
—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
20 May 2026
The silent henchmen opened the Lada’s back door and got in beside me, leaving the passenger seat empty.
—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
Jai Courtney will play Rob-Will, a ranch foreman and one of Beulah Jackson’s henchmen.
—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Key witnesses in the government’s case included Spann’s top henchmen, who cooperated with prosecutors in hopes for leniency.
—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
This is potentially disastrous, given that Josh is now in the custody of the chairwoman’s henchmen.
—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
23 June 2026
Launched in early 1982, the original MOTU line-up saw He-Man and Skeletor joined by heroes Teela (at this point, the only female character), Man-at-Arms and Stratos; the morally ambiguous Zodac; and a couple of Skeletor's henchmen, Beast Man and Mer-Man.
—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
The remoteness of their surroundings is no accident; one of these characters is fleeing an inconvenient past, which returns with a vengeance in the form of a beefy sadist (Benoît Magimel) and his two hostage-taking henchmen.
—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 May 2026
Competing alongside two Americans, Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly), Lee methodically dispatches Han’s henchmen and avenges his sister’s death in the process.
—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
20 May 2026
The silent henchmen opened the Lada’s back door and got in beside me, leaving the passenger seat empty.
—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
Jai Courtney will play Rob-Will, a ranch foreman and one of Beulah Jackson’s henchmen.
—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Key witnesses in the government’s case included Spann’s top henchmen, who cooperated with prosecutors in hopes for leniency.
—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
This is potentially disastrous, given that Josh is now in the custody of the chairwoman’s henchmen.
—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for henchmen
Noun
-
For example, a group of minions might be pretending to fight a group of Vikings on a movie set, or enough alien spaceships to fill the entire screen appear and shoot their lasers at once.
-
And minions have taken over Wendy’s frosty machines with a new banana flavor.
Noun
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Back in his coaching career, Cruyff was one of the first managers to be obsessed with the cut of the pitch — a trait that has passed over to his disciples, most notably the exacting Pep Guardiola.
-
Christian Science teaches that the divine laws of Truth and Life, as demonstrated by Jesus and his disciples, continue to operate today as an eternal, demonstrable Science.
Noun
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The remains of two Army soldiers who went missing while off duty from military exercises in Morocco were recovered in May, according to the Army.
-
The soldiers went missing on May 2 near the Cap Draa Training Area near the city of Tan Tan in southwestern Morocco, USA TODAY previously reported.
Cite this Entry
“Henchmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/henchmen. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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