as in fussing
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootlicking
Verb
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This was the mid 1980s and tandem skydiving hadn’t been popularized yet, so his father, Roger, adjusted accordingly by stuffing carpet padding into the leg pads to stop him from fussing.—
Angelina Liu,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But this newsletter is more focused on how Trump and his fawning functionaries speak about and for him.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
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Their Instagram announcement—a carousel of the couple's lavish garden engagement photoshoot—has been liked more than 35 million times since it was posted on August 26, with Swifties around the world fawning over the singer's gigantic ring.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Symptoms may begin within minutes, which include heavy drooling—especially in cats—and redness on the skin and in or around the mouth.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
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On day eight of his partial paralysis, Nini finally stopped drooling and could now walk gingerly.—
Tao Lin,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The secretary accused the AAP of kowtowing to corporate benefactors while ignoring the clear evidence that such vaccines are safe for children and can prevent serious illness.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
21 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bootlicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootlicking. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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