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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Markle publicly congratulated the couple and liked Swift’s Instagram announcement of her engagement to Kelce.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
26 Oct. 2025
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Deputy prime minister Simon Harris also congratulated Connolly for her victory which is expected to be formally announced later on Saturday.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ohtani stroked a triple into the right field corner in his first at-bat Thursday and scored on Mookie Betts’ double.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
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The Tigers tied the game in the eighth when Spencer Torkelson stroked a two-run double off reliever Matt Brash, who wound up getting the win.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cornerback Darnay Holmes, suffering from a thigh cramp and desperate to return to the game in the final minutes, pulled down his uniform pants — exposing his backside — while a trainer vigorously massaged the area.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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Some bridesmaids prayed, others massaged her head, while others burned Palo Santo and turned to natural remedies.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Earlier in the day, Knowles spoke with Sherri Shepherd on the Sherri show, and praised Blue Ivy for performing onstage with her mother in front of crowds of 70,000 people per night.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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Nagy says Takaichi will likely praise Trump on his immigration policy, which has involved pursuing mass deportations and tightening restrictions on legal immigration.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Boss also applauded the managing team of Five Below for their strong direction and recent strategic initiatives.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
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Their remaining team-mates applauded the away enclosure, but many in that section were gesticulating their disdain.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro commended Springer for playing through his injury.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
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Some food activists have commended the move.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The V-neck is styled in two sections that wrap around each other at the front, and the tall waist is fitted to flatter your figure while staying stretchy and comfortable.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
23 Oct. 2025
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Back in the mid-1800s, the logging industry in the West relied on trains to move the redwoods' tremendous tree trunks from the coastal forests and mountains to flatter, inland regions.—
Chelsee Lowe,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Butter up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butter%20up. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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