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
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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
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
Verb
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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
Verb
-
Part of what fascinated me about their presentation was not only their refusal to kowtow to male desire, which for decades had a stranglehold on rock aesthetics, but a concomitant disavowal of commercialism.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
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What distinguishes Camper, at least musically, is his deference to classic R&B signifiers without kowtowing to pastiche.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Empire was a sinister, one-note shadow: faceless Storm Troopers, toadying fascistic generals, a cackling emperor, and of course Darth Vader, an enigmatic demon masked and cloaked in black.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
25 Apr. 2025
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The only other psychological need that rivals his thirst for toadying is the pursuit of .—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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For Valentine's Day 2026, the retailer released a confetti glass icon candle that shoppers drooled over.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 June 2026
-
Fighter Josh Hokit drooled at the weigh-in in front of the Lincoln Memorial.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Unless Trump’s art of the deal is all about truckling to Putin.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
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During the campaign, most of Trump’s fallen rivals blasted him in exceptional terms—before truckling to support him against Hillary Clinton.—
James Fallows,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2017
Verb
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His gimmick was hiring artists to do the cleaning, which brought in new clients every time the press fawned over the poor Cindarellas.—
Jesse Armas,
Curbed,
16 June 2026
-
Pelley’s fawning interview with then-president Biden tells a different story.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bootlick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootlick. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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