stooge

1 of 2

noun

ˈstüj 

1

a

: one who plays a subordinate or compliant role to a principal

b

: puppet sense 3

2

: straight man

3

: stool pigeon sense 1

stooge

2 of 2

verb

stooged; stooging

intransitive verb

: to act as a stooge

congressmen who stooge for the oil and mineral interests

—New 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

Noun

Cream pie out of respect to many a great stooge who cruelly had the sweet treat shoved or thrown onto their face. —Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2024

Lynch is nuanced enough to make Frank a memorably self-loathing villain instead of a one-note stooge, which ultimately makes the show more rewarding as a drama than as comedy. —Chris Klimek, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

Verb

Obama’s restraint did not make any difference: the regime still labeled the demonstrators as U.S. stooges intent on destabilizing Iran and throwing the country into chaos. —Masih Alinejad, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2022

The key political takeaway is that the White House is determined to frame the upcoming contest between Biden and Donald Trump as a choice between a Democrat fighting for the American middle class and a Republican stooge for the plutocracy. —John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2024

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

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