as in to curry favor
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
a departmental supervisor who apple-polishes shamelessly whenever higher-ups are about
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apple-polish
Verb
-
Asparagus fern is very tolerant of indoor living, doesn't fuss too much about watering schedules, and can make do with less-than-ideal lighting conditions.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
16 Feb. 2026 -
Your son is fussing in his car seat.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The motionless people drooling on the sidewalk, the Waymos whooshing around with no one inside.—
Sam Kriss,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Lowe, who is 6-foot-4, is the type of physical specimen that makes scouts drool.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Infantino’s gesture might strike people unacquainted with World Cup history as shamelessly fawning.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
-
With the Republican Congress fawning at his feet, the ideal of democracy that the will of the people governs the nation is being buried under multimedia waves of the autocratic ambition of wealth.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Apple-polish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apple-polish. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
