as in to dog
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
my doctor henpecked me into adopting a healthier lifestyle
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of henpeck
Laurent Naouri was gravelly but properly pathetic as Cendrillon’s henpecked father; Ying Fang and Maya Lahyani carried off the goofy stepsisters with aplomb.
—
Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 23 Apr. 2018
He eventually is seduced by the queen, takes her as his czarina and is literally henpecked.
—John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 8 Aug. 2017
Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 23 Apr. 2018
He eventually is seduced by the queen, takes her as his czarina and is literally henpecked.
—John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 8 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for henpeck
Verb
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The period was marked by the dramatic fall from grace of his younger brother, then-Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who admitted to smoking crack cocaine and then was dogged by evidence of a string of other abusive behavior.—
NPR,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
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Akey, dogged all night by Legend’s pass rushers, used her pure speed to score the game’s first touchdown, sprinting into the end zone from 7 yards out.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lozano has had an up-and-down season, limited to 22 starts (out of 34 MLS games) by nagging hamstring injuries, logging nine goals and 10 assists but growing visibly frustrated on the field with incessant fouling by opponents and tactical congestion.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Oct. 2025
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The mystery of their survival nagged at Alex Maranghides, a fire-protection engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), who worked with several colleagues on a meticulous reconstruction of the fire.—
Ingfei Chen,
New Yorker,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In between bickering with Rodgers and pining for a young would-be protégé named Elizabeth, played by Margaret Qualley, Hart gossips to the bartender—Eddie, portrayed by Bobby Cannavale—and begs him for just one more pour.—
Kyle McGovern,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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Parents beg to have their kids placed in her class, and people are drawn to her magnetic personality.—
Nashville Tennessean,
Nashville Tennessean,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Porat closed by urging leaders to really dig in and reimagine what’s possible in their own organizations.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
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Anyone with information regarding this incident was urged to contact the Chandler Police Department at 480-782-4130.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Not the kind of thrift store that’s actually thrifty, but the kind of thrift store that doesn’t have any price tags because the people who can afford to shop there don’t need to bother themselves with price tags.—
Lex Goldstein,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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Being a double Viking with Swedish and Norman blood on each side of my family, the cold never bothered me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Grabber hounds Finn through an old phone booth and torments Gwen through her dreams.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
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All the while, the press continued to hound.—
Jon Landau,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Medvedev has repeatedly needled Trump on social media, and his post today could be an attempt to downplay the peace deal Trump signed.—
Yamiche Alcindor,
NBC news,
14 Oct. 2025
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After nearly a decade of using the sign to needle the beer capital, Anheuser-Busch walked away from the ad and was replaced by Miller Brewing.—
Chris Foran,
jsonline.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While Johnson had plenty to be pleased with, he was annoyed by the number of penalties and said the offense has to do a better job of running the football.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
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They’re built not to resist developers but, as their name suggests, they’re intentionally designed, with a degree of malice, to annoy someone specific.—
Lilit Marcus,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Henpeck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/henpeck. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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