henchmen

NOUN

follower

Synonyms

STRONG

abettor accessory accomplice adherent adjunct aide ally appointee apprentice assistant attendant backer backup bodyguard coadjutor cohort collaborator colleague companion deputy flunky friend gofer hanger-on help helper helpmate lackey partner secretary servant sidekick stooge subordinate supporter

WEAK

coadjutant fellow worker gal Friday girl Friday hatchet man/woman man Friday right-hand man/woman right-hand person yes-person

Antonyms

STRONG

adversary antagonist boss chief detractor enemy foe leader manager master opponent opposer superior

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.

To keep up the “Hamlet” ties, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern show up, as a pair of henchmen trying to stop Scarlet, and there are cameos by Laertes and his father, Polonius.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

And it is all being fed by sycophants and henchmen who have created a self-reinforcing feedback loop.

From Salon • Aug. 26, 2025

Also, we suspect that Adam Gelb has been wearing a bat costume at night to conduct citizen’s arrests of various burglars and henchmen.

From Slate • Jul. 26, 2025

Gunn has sarcastically tried to make the place look cheery — Luthor’s henchmen are dressed in mismatched Hawaiian shirts — but the sequence might give you the shivers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2025

“Let us speak openly. Why have you come here tonight, surrounded by henchmen, to request a job we both know you do not want?”

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling