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
After being buttered up, the AI or the evildoer lures them into the evil intricacies.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
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
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, 16 July 2025
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
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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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
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Enjoy flavored nuts, such as those that are candied, glazed, or honied, in moderation.—
Selene Yeager,
Health,
24 Feb. 2024
Verb
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Several celebrities, including Olivia Jade and Poppy Delevingne, congratulated the couple in Talita's Instagram comments section.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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The Prince of Wales then took to the field to congratulate the team, shaking hands with England player Michelle Agyemang and offering her warm congratulations.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
27 July 2025
Verb
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In the black-and-white video, Kelly could be seen holding his baby daughter's hand, stroking her fingers.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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In addition, Holt is an avid supporter of the Go Red for Women campaign, the American Heart Association's national movement to end heart disease and stroke in women.—
Grace Tucker,
The Enquirer,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The market has grown quicker to discount anything that feels massaged or withheld.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
9 Aug. 2025
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Our tester loved the cooling effect of the metal applicator, which helped gently massage and depuff the area.—
Esme Benjamin,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Carbon dioxide usually gets blamed for climate change, not praised for solving it.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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Megyn Kelly can’t seem to praise her beloved Sydney Sweeney without disrespecting Beyoncé in the same breath.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For the second time in six months, captain Virgil van Dijk and his team-mates stood watching and applauding as the silverware was presented at Wembley.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
11 Aug. 2025
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Many livestream commenters have applauded Conicent for its work, however, and shared public messages of encouragement.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Whitmer, in turn, has commended Hall for putting forward a road funding plan after years of legislative inaction.—
Clara Hendrickson,
Freep.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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The group’s president and CEO, Kim Glas, commended Trump for leveraging his presidential authority on the matter.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
30 July 2025
Verb
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Swanson herself was flattered to be a guest star during the 1973 season of Burnett’s show and was especially fond of getting to work with the show’s handsome supporting star, Lyle Waggoner.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
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The lack of wildfire loss accruals in the second quarter of 2025 for the US utilities segment flattered the year-over-year comparisons.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Butter up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butter%20up. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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