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

Relevance

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
  • The eagles fuss obsessively with their habitat, waddling around on their huge, scaly reptilian feet, moving sticks to and fro with their bony beaks.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Five-month-old Ladoo fusses in a hammock made from an old scarf.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of fuss
Verb
  • But the league needs to protect its players, and be careful not to kowtow too much to its critics.
    — Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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
  • Beyond the seating area is the hotel shop with a vibrant range of pottery to drool over.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Who had broken a wrist on the back-yard flagstones, drooled cherry medicine down her sleeping face on the car ride back from the hospital.
    — Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 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
  • But in recent years, Romo has been criticized for his preparation, for cutting off Nantz mid-sentence, for fawning over Josh Allen and other quarterbacks and for seeming pollyannish at times.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026
  • That’s a potentially lucrative space as Europe ramps up military spending, but not one engineered for fawning praise from the White House.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of fawn

Browse Nearby Words

bootlessness
bootlick
bootlicked
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bootlick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootlick. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of kith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All