bootlick

verb

ˈbüt-ˌlik How to pronounce bootlick (audio)
Definition of bootlicknext
as in to fuss
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior the kind of office in which people feel they have to bootlick in order to get ahead

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bootlick Its mission was to upset hierarchies, not reinforce them, and few things were more offensive to comedians than bootlicking. — Robert Lynch, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026 Call it the bootlicking trickle-down-effect. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026 Those who delay this fate the longest are bootlicking mediocrities — the survival of the sycophants. — Michael Gerson, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootlick
  1. fuss
  2. kowtow
  3. toady
  4. drool
  5. truckle
  6. fawn
Verb
  • Yes, teaching by example is often a better way of handling a challenge than fussing about it.
    — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
  • No need to fuss-up something that's just as delicious prepared simply.
    — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 5 June 2026
Definition of fuss
Verb
  • The decision has led to accusations that FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has kowtowed to Trump, who last year won FIFA’s inaugural peace prize, prompting European lawmakers to call for an investigation into how the prize was awarded, Le Monde reported.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 6 July 2026
  • Yet at the deadline, Frank said the quiet part out loud about how the Clippers used to build the roster to kowtow to Leonard, but the time for those maneuvers was over.
    — Law Murray, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of kowtow
Verb
  • The only other psychological need that rivals his thirst for toadying is the pursuit of .
    — Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Hamlet’s toadying friends, the hangers-on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, are Izzard’s own talking hands, popping up to face her like a pair of Muppets.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2024
Definition of toady
Verb
  • The clearest early warning is heavy, frantic panting when a dog has not been exercising, along with drooling, red or dark gums, weakness or vomiting.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
  • Isaacs said the symptoms of heat stress or heat stroke include excessive panting, drooling, vomiting, seizures or collapse.
    — Renee Anderson, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of drool
Verb
  • Garbarino enjoyed his time with the Southern river rats and mountain folk, and their refusal to truckle to authority delights him to this day.
    — David Samuels, Town & Country, 18 Oct. 2013
Definition of truckle
Verb
  • In recent weeks, Silicon Valley has been fawning over an AI model released by a lab in China.
    — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
  • But the food justified every rave review, hour-long wait for a table, and fawning Instagram image.
    — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of fawn

Browse Nearby Words

bootlessness
bootlick
bootlicked
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Cite this Entry

“Bootlick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootlick. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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