bootlick

verb

boot·​lick ˈbüt-ˌlik How to pronounce bootlick (audio)
bootlicked; bootlicking; bootlicks

transitive verb

: to try to gain favor with through a servile or obsequious manner

intransitive verb

: to act obsequiously
bootlicker noun

Examples of bootlick in a Sentence

the kind of office in which people feel they have to bootlick in order to get ahead
Recent Examples on the Web Those who delay this fate the longest are bootlicking mediocrities — the survival of the sycophants. Michael Gerson, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Mar. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bootlick.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of bootlick was in 1845

Dictionary Entries Near bootlick

Cite this Entry

“Bootlick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bootlick. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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