as in to honey
to praise too much
a flunky who shamelessly butters up the boss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of butter up
Ben spends the afternoon buttering up Ellie and praising her cake-icing skills, and even gives her the task of decorating the wedding cake.
—
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
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
The preview for The Muppet Show reveals special guest Sabrina Carpenter buttering up Miss Piggy backstage.
—Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
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
The preview for The Muppet Show reveals special guest Sabrina Carpenter buttering up Miss Piggy backstage.
—Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butter up
Verb
-
Her voice, languid and honeyed, can glide over sensual R&B, bouncing reggaetón, shimmering pop or nostalgic jazz.—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
16 Oct. 2025
-
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
-
The morning show host congratulated Sophia and Isabella — who went to different high schools — on their accomplishments with individual social media posts.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Orbán, who has led Hungary for 16 years, conceded and congratulated Magyar less than three hours after polls closed.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Elton John doing a handstand on his keyboard, Roger Daltrey stroking a microphone, Ian Anderson making the flute somehow look cool — his pictures became a means of connection for fans.—
David Di Sabatino,
SPIN,
3 Apr. 2026
-
At first, Hanke thought Miyabi was just stroking his ego.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lightly massaging the area of application may further help relax muscles and stimulate circulation.—
T'Keyah Bazin,
Verywell Health,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Multi-setting showerheads, like most of those made today, have a wide array of choices to select from, ranging from powerful, massaging force to gentle rain and rinsing or even misting.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The response was praised by Republican politicians, who widely denounced the content of the chats, which was filled with slurs for Black, Jewish and gay people and included graphic calls for violence against Black people.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Cornice headboards are trending again, praised for a classic, layered look.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But even some of TMZ’s usual detractors have applauded its pivot to name-and-shame political coverage.—
Paula Mejía,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce applauded the funding increase in a release.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At a news conference after the hearing, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney apologized to the families of the victims and commended the authorities who ultimately caught Heuermann.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries should set aside partisan differences and publicly commend our military’s efforts.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Models often learn to flatter users, a tendency known as sycophancy, and will sometimes prioritize this over honesty.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The textural design offers enough pizzazz while still being flattering—not an easy goal to achieve.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Butter up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butter%20up. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
