stooge

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: one who plays a subordinate or compliant role to a principal
2
3

stooge

2 of 2

verb

stooged; stooging

intransitive verb

: to act as a stooge
congressmen who stooge for the oil and mineral interestsNew Republic

Examples of stooge in a Sentence

Noun a gangster and his stooges He's just a stooge for the oil industry.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
But Oberon was no self-hating, assimilationist stooge of whiteness; instead, the social and political conditions of her era forced her to pass. Mayukh Sen, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2025 Scenes centered on corporate stooges or government administrators are cast in bland browns and sickly yellows, while moments based in nature or the afterlife are bursting with bright blues, pinks, and greens. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2025
Verb
Pattinson, a putty-limbed stooge one minute and a vicious nihilist the next, has fun challenging Mickey’s preconceptions of himself—or, rather, himselves. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025 The latter two will get a hand from Ben Mendelsohn's Orson Krennic, the Empire stooge that served as one of Rogue One's villains. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stooge

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1913, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stooge was in 1913

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stooge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stooge. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

stooge

noun
ˈstüj
1
: one who follows or serves another without thinking
2
: an actor who usually by asking questions prepares the way for a principal comedian's jokes
stooge verb

More from Merriam-Webster on stooge

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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