Uncle Tom

¹Uncle Tom

noun \-ˈtäm\

Definition of UNCLE TOM

1

: a black who is overeager to win the approval of whites (as by obsequious behavior or uncritical acceptance of white values and goals)

2

: a member of a low-status group who is overly subservient to or cooperative with authority <the worst floor managers and supervisors by far are women … Some of them are regular Uncle Toms — Jane Fonda>

— Uncle Tom·ism \-ˈtä-ˌmi-zəm\ noun

Origin of UNCLE TOM

Uncle Tom, pious and faithful black slave in Uncle Tom's Cabin (1851–52) by Harriet Beecher Stowe

First Known Use: 1922

Rhymes with UNCLE TOM

cardamom, carpet bomb, CD-ROM, cherry bomb, cluster bomb, diatom, intercom, lemon balm, letter bomb, logic bomb, neutron bomb, Peeping Tom, royal palm, sago palm, soccer mom, supermom, telecom, Vietnam

²Uncle Tom

intransitive verb

Uncle TommedUncle Tom·ming

Definition of UNCLE TOM

: to behave like an Uncle Tom

First Known Use of UNCLE TOM

1947