1
as in attack dog
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2
as in wordmonger
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Recent Examples of hatchet man
The thinking around Washington was that Jon Husted, who was put in his seat after J.D. Vance left it to become Trump’s right-hand hatchet man, would be a responsible custodian who could coast through this November’s special election to finish out the balance of Vance’s term.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Apr. 2026
While he was sent by the White House to be a hatchet man, Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, should use a scalpel with care, conducting a real, legitimate probe that seeks ways to save money for taxpayers and improve outcomes for patients.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
In 2010, the duo separated, going opposite directions; Malice sought repentance through the church while Pusha became a hatchet man for Kanye West.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Arthur is known as Conkling’s hatchet man, a customs collector for the Port of New York who’s shown, in one amusing snippet, presiding over the beating of a noncompliant businessman.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
The White House and its hatchet men attacking culture are coming for the artists, curators, museum directors, docents, writers, and editors who value freedom and liberation and Black history and women’s history and ideas and progress.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Musk’s extracurricular gig as President Donald Trump’s hatchet man has turned the Tesla brand — once a favorite among upwardly mobile lefties — into a symbol of America’s right wing.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, there have been mass firings at the FBI, reportedly instigated by Trump hatchet man Kash Patel, who awaits Senate confirmation to head the FBI.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2025
Back home, more pink slips for federal employees go out and the scrutiny of Elon Musk's role as the hatchet man for those agencies intensifies.
—CBS News, 16 Feb. 2025
Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Apr. 2026
While he was sent by the White House to be a hatchet man, Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, should use a scalpel with care, conducting a real, legitimate probe that seeks ways to save money for taxpayers and improve outcomes for patients.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
In 2010, the duo separated, going opposite directions; Malice sought repentance through the church while Pusha became a hatchet man for Kanye West.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Arthur is known as Conkling’s hatchet man, a customs collector for the Port of New York who’s shown, in one amusing snippet, presiding over the beating of a noncompliant businessman.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
The White House and its hatchet men attacking culture are coming for the artists, curators, museum directors, docents, writers, and editors who value freedom and liberation and Black history and women’s history and ideas and progress.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Musk’s extracurricular gig as President Donald Trump’s hatchet man has turned the Tesla brand — once a favorite among upwardly mobile lefties — into a symbol of America’s right wing.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, there have been mass firings at the FBI, reportedly instigated by Trump hatchet man Kash Patel, who awaits Senate confirmation to head the FBI.
—Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2025
Back home, more pink slips for federal employees go out and the scrutiny of Elon Musk's role as the hatchet man for those agencies intensifies.
—CBS News, 16 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hatchet man
Noun
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Now a kidnapper is after the little sister of the dead men and she’s saved by Alice and Rex, who are not attack dogs but can still inflict pain.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Vance often has served as an attack dog for the administration, including lashing out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an Oval Office visit.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The dog, a small female tan and white pit bull mix between 1 and 3 years old, had no identification or a microchip.—
Kellie Love,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Girls cuddling pit bull puppies.—
Jesmyn Ward,
Vanity Fair,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The ghostwriter’s job is to channel the voice of someone else.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
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And yet, in the last chapter of her ghostwritten book, Whoopi Goldberg acknowledges some misgivings about using a ghostwriter.—
Emily Hodgson Anderson,
The Conversation,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Their names — chosen to honor rangers who protect wild tigers in Sumatra — connect the work happening at Dallas Zoo to conservation taking place thousands of miles away.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The name connects the cub to a real person doing conservation work on the ground in Sumatra, where the remaining wild population of Sumatran tigers lives.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Powering the portable scribbler is 1.7-GHz dual-core processing supported by 2 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Sep. 2025
-
All remaining scribblers should lay down their squibs and come out, squinting, arms aloft in surrender.—
Jayson Greene,
Time,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
Scott Quigley, a loyal minion of yet another septuagenarian Democrat hack DA, Marian Ryan of Middlesex County.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
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Yet there’s no denying that Renny Harlin, in his utilitarian action-hack way, has some chops.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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According to his biographer Walter Isaacson, Musk disabled Starlink access within a hundred kilometers of the coast of Crimea in September 2022 in order to prevent an attack by Ukrainian drone submarines on the Russian Navy.—
Ben Tarnoff,
Big Think,
23 Apr. 2026
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Royal biographer Robert Hardman also sees a bit of Queen Elizabeth II in the young royal, who is the late monarch's great-granddaughter.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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At least one of his cowriter nominees, Mehdi Mahmoudian, was unable to leave Iran to attend Sunday’s awards.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
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Zamiri and Aitchison worked closely with cowriter Bertie Brandes to crack the movie, which chronicles a dramatic shift for Charli as an artist, as people start to see her in a different light.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hatchet man.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hatchet%20man. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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