as in fussed
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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Recent Examples of kowtowed
According to Filomeno Aguilar, Jr, once the Europeans were gone, the hacenderos kowtowed to the Americans, offering the island as a protectorate in the hopes of securing favorable access to the lucrative US market for their sugar.
—
JSTOR Daily, 19 Nov. 2025
JSTOR Daily, 19 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kowtowed
Verb
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Dunst doesn’t get fussed about that sort of thing.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Nov. 2025
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Others might tell you that hosting an awards show is a thankless gig, but Bargatze doesn’t seem fussed.—
Lacey Rose,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Especially Jeanie, who remembered how her father, Jerry Buss, had fawned over Davis during Davis’s Kentucky days.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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But while almost every facet of TSITP is being fawned over in Reddit threads, Instagram posts, and viral TikTok videos (the soundtrack!—
Olivia Petter,
Vogue,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Keong says these pillow protectors slide easily over her puffiest pillows, wash up well at the laundromat, and help prevent her new pillows from getting too drooled-on to be presentable for overnight guests.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kowtowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kowtowed. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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