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bootlick

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

Definition of bootlick

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to act obsequiously
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Other Words from bootlick

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, "Trump unbound amid a cloud of chaos," 18 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bootlick.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of bootlick

1845, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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The first known use of bootlick was in 1845

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Cite this Entry

“Bootlick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bootlick. Accessed 16 Apr. 2021.

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