as in to fuss
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
you can try kowtowing to the boss, but he'll see right through you
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kowtow
Flattering, placating, and kowtowing only seem to spark escalating demands while defiance risks retaliation.
—
Jeff Kingston, Time, 4 Oct. 2025
Pushback by viewers in Sinclair and Nexstar’s ABC markets, and the perception that the companies are kowtowing to the FCC chairman’s anti-liberal ideology, could be a factor to lead the companies to relent.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
Is Apple kowtowing to the Trump administration by burying a series that dares to depict white supremacists as a national security threat?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025
The secretary accused the AAP of kowtowing to corporate benefactors while ignoring the clear evidence that such vaccines are safe for children and can prevent serious illness.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kowtow
Jeff Kingston, Time, 4 Oct. 2025
Pushback by viewers in Sinclair and Nexstar’s ABC markets, and the perception that the companies are kowtowing to the FCC chairman’s anti-liberal ideology, could be a factor to lead the companies to relent.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
Is Apple kowtowing to the Trump administration by burying a series that dares to depict white supremacists as a national security threat?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025
The secretary accused the AAP of kowtowing to corporate benefactors while ignoring the clear evidence that such vaccines are safe for children and can prevent serious illness.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kowtow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kowtow
Verb
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As the migrants boarded, a man hoisted one of the passengers in the air, a fussing 8-month-old baby whose face was flushed red from the heat.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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The final Queen of France was often homesick and would fuss about the performative nature of her aristocratic duties.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Empire was a sinister, one-note shadow: faceless Storm Troopers, toadying fascistic generals, a cackling emperor, and of course Darth Vader, an enigmatic demon masked and cloaked in black.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
25 Apr. 2025
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The only other psychological need that rivals his thirst for toadying is the pursuit of .—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CWD can take months to years for symptoms to appear, which could include drastic weight loss, stumbling or lack of coordination, drooling and listlessness.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
30 Oct. 2025
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Naturally, the post attracted over 16,000 comments of women drooling over him.—
Essence,
Essence,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Unless Trump’s art of the deal is all about truckling to Putin.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
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During the campaign, most of Trump’s fallen rivals blasted him in exceptional terms—before truckling to support him against Hillary Clinton.—
James Fallows,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2017
Verb
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Those who delay this fate the longest are bootlicking mediocrities — the survival of the sycophants.—
Michael Gerson,
Anchorage Daily News,
18 Mar. 2018
Verb
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To reach that goal, countries submitted their own climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) as part of the Paris Agreement.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
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The department is asking witnesses to come forward, and also asks that people who have video of the incident submit it to investigators, both from the incident and from exterior cameras in the area.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Instead of supporting allies in NATO and Ukraine against aggressive Russian territorial expansion, the United States has proposed drastic cuts to defensive military support measures and played fawning host to Vladimir Putin.—
Time,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
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But there were – among the fawning compliments and the conviction an elusive peace was near – bits of good news for Ukraine.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kowtow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kowtow. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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