butter up
verb
buttered up; buttering up; butters up
: to charm or beguile with lavish flattery or praise
Synonyms
Examples of butter up in a Sentence
a flunky who shamelessly butters up the boss
Recent Examples on the Web
Ripple’s ongoing efforts to butter up the banking and corporate world have made the company, and by extension XRP, an object of hostility and derision among the rest of the crypto world.
—
Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 24 Mar. 2023
Next, coat the bottom of a casserole dish with butter, place the potatoes in, and pat more butter up on top.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, 23 Nov. 2021
At the center: six cinnamon rolls that a candidate alleged had been used to butter up voters during the tight mayoral race in October.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2023
Steele storms out, but Sarah stays behind to butter up the AG.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 21 Nov. 2022
But why was butter up 6% in March, while milk rose only 1.3%?
—Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 13 Apr. 2022
The producers even included a vegan baker in the mix, a woman who put her cakes without eggs or butter up against those ofher peers without missinga beat.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2021
In an attempt to butter up his new boss, Lasso bakes shortbread biscuits for the team's owner.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE.com, 8 Oct. 2021
This year’s CinemaCon festivities are expected to be muted, to say the least, compared to the past when studio heads and the world’s biggest movie stars would fly in to butter up theater owners.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2021
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Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 24 Mar. 2023
Next, coat the bottom of a casserole dish with butter, place the potatoes in, and pat more butter up on top.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, 23 Nov. 2021
At the center: six cinnamon rolls that a candidate alleged had been used to butter up voters during the tight mayoral race in October.
—María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2023
Steele storms out, but Sarah stays behind to butter up the AG.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 21 Nov. 2022
But why was butter up 6% in March, while milk rose only 1.3%?
—Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 13 Apr. 2022
The producers even included a vegan baker in the mix, a woman who put her cakes without eggs or butter up against those ofher peers without missinga beat.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2021
In an attempt to butter up his new boss, Lasso bakes shortbread biscuits for the team's owner.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE.com, 8 Oct. 2021
This year’s CinemaCon festivities are expected to be muted, to say the least, compared to the past when studio heads and the world’s biggest movie stars would fly in to butter up theater owners.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'butter up.' 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
1819, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to butter up
Dictionary Entries Near butter up
Cite this Entry
“Butter up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butter%20up. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
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