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
Beijing has shown a strong capacity for retaliation and a tactical openness to negotiation, but not a willingness to kowtow.
—
Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025
Many of the university’s new policies have been seen by some critics as kowtowing to the Trump Administration.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 8 May 2025
Zen and others view any warming of ties with Beijing as kowtowing to an officially atheist regime.
—Eryk Michael Smith, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Trump and Musk could attempt to undermine American democracy and create a Russian-style power vertical without kowtowing to Putin or abandoning Ukraine.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kowtow
Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025
Many of the university’s new policies have been seen by some critics as kowtowing to the Trump Administration.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 8 May 2025
Zen and others view any warming of ties with Beijing as kowtowing to an officially atheist regime.
—Eryk Michael Smith, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Trump and Musk could attempt to undermine American democracy and create a Russian-style power vertical without kowtowing to Putin or abandoning Ukraine.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kowtow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kowtow
Verb
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As a storyteller, Tyagi isn’t too fussed about making his plot persuasive — the ease with which Nair and his co-counsel Dilreet Gill, played by Ananya Panday, manage to uncover evidence defies logic.—
Anupama Chopra,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 2025
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Throughout the footage, Leah, from Fort Worth, Texas, can be seen fussing Lunch Box and fawning over her sweet foster pup.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 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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Leaning over him, Mary drools into Stack’s mouth, her appetite soon his own.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
25 June 2025
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The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends learning the signs of overheating in dogs such as excessive panting, restlessness, excessive drooling, unsteadiness, or abnormal gum and tongue color.—
Kelsey Monstrola,
USA Today,
24 June 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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Garbarino enjoyed his time with the Southern river rats and mountain folk, and their refusal to truckle to authority delights him to this day.—
David Samuels,
Town & Country,
18 Oct. 2013
Verb
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Science Homecoming, a nonprofit that promotes public engagement by scientists, also offered free editorial feedback to any contributor who submitted a draft.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
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The issue was not mentioned in the official report on the Danish Realm submitted to parliament on February 28, 2024, though threats to Greenland from China and Russia were.—
Morten Høi Jensen,
The Dial,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Celebrities on the publicity circuit who are accustomed to the usual techniques and tricks of interviewers—softball questions, fawning compliments—find themselves in a different and disconcerting dynamic.—
Rebecca Mead,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
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Not only was President Joe Biden in serious decline, Karine Jean-Pierre — celebrated in numerous fawning media profiles — was a rotten White House press secretary.—
Rich Lowry,
National Review,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kowtow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kowtow. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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