From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhenchmanhench‧man /ˈhentʃmən/ noun (plural henchmen /-mən/) [countable] SUPPORT A PERSON, GROUP, OR PLANa faithful supporter of a political leader or a criminal, who is willing to do illegal things or use violence
Examples from the Corpus
henchman• The Abrego henchmen hit on a seemingly foolproof idea.• Sinatra arrived and left in a helicopter with all his henchmen.• Franco and his henchmen had undoubtedly allowed the monarchists to stand in the hope that they would be discredited by defeat.• Bradley is shot at by the warden and his guards, as well as by the killer and his henchmen.Origin henchman (1300-1400) hengest “male horse” ((12-14 centuries)) (from Old English) + man 