BUTTERS UP Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

butters up

verb

present tense third-person singular of butter up

as in praises

to praise too much a flunky who shamelessly butters up the boss

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for butters up

Verb

Timothée Chalamet praises Denis Villeneuve at the #DunePartThree global Imax fan event.

— Angelique Jackson, Variety, 8 July 2026
The show is produced by V10 Entertainment, whom Reeves praises for playing a key role in helping to find sponsors and working closely with Moto America.

— Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026

Definition of praises

Verb

The center also has hydrotherapy chairs where athletes can lie as a jet of water, similar but much stronger than the jets in a jacuzzi, massages them.

— Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Nov. 2025
In a viral video shared on Instagram last Sunday under the username @whiskeytoller, the gray kitty can be seen hanging around his brother, Oakley, as his mom massages the injured area, doing his best to show his love and support.

— Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

Definition of massages

Verb

As Ospreay walks away, Kenny Omega congratulates him on his performance at Forbidden Door.

— Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
This logic would not have barred any of the Jim Crow voting devices that the Roberts Court frequently congratulates itself and the nation for overcoming.

— Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026

Definition of congratulates

Verb

Jasmin Camacho, an evolutionary biologist at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, applauds the python work as another way of looking in unexpected places for potential drugs and cures.

— Ari Daniel, NPR, 13 July 2026
All are aghast, save Ser Torrhen Manderly, who applauds the farce.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 July 2026

Definition of applauds

Verb

When Robbie first strokes the plush walls, her Cathy stares with the appropriate mix of awe and terror.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Feb. 2026
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

Definition of strokes

Verb

An active Sun puffs up Earth’s atmosphere, creating higher drag for satellites in low-Earth orbit.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 19 June 2026
With its telltale cone shape, the northernmost of Sicily's Aeolian Islands is home to a volcano that puffs on a near-constant basis.

— Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 31 Mar. 2026

Definition of puffs

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buttering up

butters up

butter up

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“Butters up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butters%20up. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of butters up

verb

Example Sentences

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