lackey

1 of 2

noun

lack·​ey ˈla-kē How to pronounce lackey (audio)
plural lackeys
1
b
: someone who does menial tasks or runs errands for another
2
: a servile follower : toady

lackey

2 of 2

verb

lackeyed; lackeying

intransitive verb

archaic : to serve as a lackey : toady

transitive verb

: to wait upon or serve obsequiously

Examples of lackey in a Sentence

Noun He was nothing but a spineless lackey of the establishment. a celebrity surrounded by his lackeys
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
All the while, Islamist leaders throughout the Muslim world have vilified Riyadh as a U.S. lackey and an apostate regime. Bernard Haykel, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2024 Derek is often antagonizing his lackey, the overqualified fixer Wallace Westwyld, played by Jeremy Irons. William Earl, Variety, 11 Jan. 2024 When that job ended, he was spared once again—this time because a Gestapo officer named Felix Landau, a sadist with artistic pretensions, enlisted him as his personal lackey. Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2023 Meanwhile, the factory bosses and their establishment lackeys cultivate their own utopian ideals centered on the divinity of technological progress and economic competition. WIRED, 22 Oct. 2023 There’s an army of lackeys to dispatch before the big boss fight. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2023 Advertisement No corporate lackey, Lodge also sought to restrain large companies, only at a slower pace. Michael Bobelian, Washington Post, 29 June 2023 Meanwhile, Hugo prepares to disrupt the GoJo deal as Ken’s lackey. Shelly Tan, Washington Post, 26 May 2023 Still, with Tom now in control as U.S. CEO, Greg’s scheming tactics seemingly haven’t failed to win him a spot on the team–or at least to continue to be a lackey for Tom. Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2023
Verb
With the world order disrupted, Mario searches for seven stars to defeat villain Smithy and his pointy lackeys. WIRED, 15 Nov. 2023 The trio quickly find themselves in a new power struggle for control of the company against Logan's C-suite lackeys Frank (Peter Friedman), Karl (David Rasche) and Hugo (Fisher Stevens). Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lackey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French laquais

First Known Use

Noun

1523, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1568, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of lackey was in 1523

Dictionary Entries Near lackey

Cite this Entry

“Lackey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lackey. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lackey

noun
lack·​ey
ˈlak-ē
plural lackeys
1
2
: an overly respectful follower : toady

More from Merriam-Webster on lackey

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