as in to honey
to praise too much
a flunky who shamelessly butters up the boss
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Recent Examples of butter up
Some buttering up in your prompt can likely produce this.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Enter Rutte, who knew Trump from his time as Prime Minister, and who got to work buttering up the American president.
—Tom Nagorski, Time, 18 July 2025
Images of toadies buttering up an emperor come to mind.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images Anderson, currently a free agent, could be buttering up the Commanders to get a contract offer, but there is some truth to his statement.
—Victor Williams, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Add butter and pulse in or use a fork to break butter up into pea-size pieces.
—Mary Ann Esposito, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
In contrast, Tai — who eventually becomes a powerful lawyer as an adult — often relies on buttering up her witnesses and using courtroom theatrics to get her point across.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Enter Rutte, who knew Trump from his time as Prime Minister, and who got to work buttering up the American president.
—Tom Nagorski, Time, 18 July 2025
Images of toadies buttering up an emperor come to mind.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images Anderson, currently a free agent, could be buttering up the Commanders to get a contract offer, but there is some truth to his statement.
—Victor Williams, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Add butter and pulse in or use a fork to break butter up into pea-size pieces.
—Mary Ann Esposito, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
In contrast, Tai — who eventually becomes a powerful lawyer as an adult — often relies on buttering up her witnesses and using courtroom theatrics to get her point across.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butter up
Verb
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Her voice, languid and honeyed, can glide over sensual R&B, bouncing reggaetón, shimmering pop or nostalgic jazz.—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
16 Oct. 2025
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Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
2 July 2024
Verb
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Pop icon Justin Bieber publicly congratulated him, leading to the development of a friendship between the two.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
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Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk — who knows a little something about landing a 900 — congratulated Ovechkin on the milestone.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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For an artisanal twist, look no further than Ezcaray Matisse throw that looks as if Georgia O’Keeffe applied the paint brush strokes herself.—
Kristine Hansen,
Architectural Digest,
8 Jan. 2026
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Allen has created a hall of mirrors, then, in which we’re supposed to stroke our chins and perhaps wink-wink at Baum’s meta commentary about the dangers of confusing the artist with the man … But so what?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Most dogs love the feeling of the rubber groomer massaging their skin.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
7 Nov. 2025
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That merely meant coach Brian Dutcher didn’t have to delicately parcel out playing time while massaging egos on his Mariana Trench-deep roster, and the bench shortened by circumstance delivered a 77-45 win powered by a pair of true freshmen and a typically frenetic defensive effort.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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His unique style made his work a major influence on art house cinema including American filmmakers Gus van Sant and Jim Jarmusch, who have praised his vision.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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Don’t be afraid to praise good work — doing so sets a tone that turns routine collaboration into something people enjoy.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And other stars are applauding her candor.—
Whitney Perry,
Glamour,
6 Jan. 2026
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Yaro also applauded Coinbase's strong business fundamentals.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Captain Brandon Fisher was commended by the heads of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration and even Boeing executives for helping ensure none of the 177 people aboard flight 1282 were killed when the blowout happened in January 2024.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
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Critics and fans have commended the adaptation for its acting, cinematography, and adherence to the original source material.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The butt-flattering pants look like chic trousers but feel like sweats, and don’t have any bulky design details.—
Eva Thomas,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
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The style makes your legs look longer and flatter your hips thanks to the high-rise waistline.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Butter up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butter%20up. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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