1
as in to fuss
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
a young lieutenant constantly sucking up to the commanding officer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sycophant
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
I'd like to give my boss a birthday present, but I don't want to look like a shameless suck-up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suck (up)
Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 4 Dec. 2025
Like many digital beings, Reps, as Replika’s avatars are known, are engineered to be agreeable, nonjudgmental, and zealously supportive—i.e., suck-ups.
—Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Matthew eventually one-ups the request by losing his boxers as well and going full Winnie the Pooh, which earns him the respect of his fellow suck-ups.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2025
But the joke’s on us — Republican senators, who are the only players with any real power to stop them, have simply decided not to, all so that President Camacho can play at government with his favorite suck-ups.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2025
Sara Fischer, Dave Lawler Dec 23, 2024 - Politics & Policy
Media's suck-up moment
Fearing political retribution and strained by new business challenges, media companies that once covered President-elect Trump with skepticism — and in many cases, disdain — are reconsidering their approach.
—Sara Fischer, Axios, 14 Jan. 2025
To be sure, plenty of companies are still committed to DEI programs, and not all executives are morphing into insufferable suck-ups.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024
Back in the dawn of the Trump era — just prior to his 2017 inauguration — the line of would-be suck-ups queuing up for face time with the president-elect included a man with a distinguished name.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2023
Office suck-ups, popularized by television characters like Dwight Schrute in The Office and Tom Wambsgans in Succession, typically take their cues from those in charge.
—Matthew Boyle, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2023
Noun
Or a suck-up move to the Trump administration and its ridiculous claims against the media?
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 4 Dec. 2025
Like many digital beings, Reps, as Replika’s avatars are known, are engineered to be agreeable, nonjudgmental, and zealously supportive—i.e., suck-ups.
—Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Matthew eventually one-ups the request by losing his boxers as well and going full Winnie the Pooh, which earns him the respect of his fellow suck-ups.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2025
But the joke’s on us — Republican senators, who are the only players with any real power to stop them, have simply decided not to, all so that President Camacho can play at government with his favorite suck-ups.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2025
Sara Fischer, Dave Lawler Dec 23, 2024 - Politics & Policy
Media's suck-up moment
Fearing political retribution and strained by new business challenges, media companies that once covered President-elect Trump with skepticism — and in many cases, disdain — are reconsidering their approach.
—Sara Fischer, Axios, 14 Jan. 2025
To be sure, plenty of companies are still committed to DEI programs, and not all executives are morphing into insufferable suck-ups.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024
Back in the dawn of the Trump era — just prior to his 2017 inauguration — the line of would-be suck-ups queuing up for face time with the president-elect included a man with a distinguished name.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2023
Office suck-ups, popularized by television characters like Dwight Schrute in The Office and Tom Wambsgans in Succession, typically take their cues from those in charge.
—Matthew Boyle, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suck (up)
Verb
-
Need to put a filling dinner on the table, but don't have a lot of time to fuss?—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
22 May 2026
-
Ever the dedicated mother, Stacy runs to her adult daughter’s aid, fussing at her for not using a driver for her errands.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Trump’s worried sycophants probably know that the details of an eventual agreement likely do not matter very much at this point.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
25 May 2026
-
Instead of holding events around Los Angeles to convince skeptics that his mayoral campaign is for everyone, the former reality television bad boy has bunkered himself inside an echo chamber of sycophants, friendly podcasters and milquetoast media outlets.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
As the two men drink their first soda for nearly a year and wistfully speak of clean clothes, another first-person view drone is heard overhead in the city of Kramatorsk, sending locals scattering.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
This is a time when TCM has never been more popular, with practices including acupuncture, as well as cupping, herbal medicine, and other somatic therapies (or something as simple as drinking warm water) going mainstream in the Western world.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Rarely has a president been surrounded by such an array of toadies and lickspittles, operating beyond their competence in an atmosphere of organizational chaos.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Firmly in control of the nation’s massive federal apparatus, MAGA and its Republican lickspittles in Congress have thrived on chaos.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There is no version of this where producers absorb tens of billions of dollars in new liability and don’t pass it on.—
Yaël Ossowski,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
Place an open box in a discreet corner of the bathroom to absorb unwanted odors over several months.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The result of this dynamic tension of bootlickers, according to Bernhard’s narrator, is the perpetual elevation and official anointment of mediocrity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
-
If all goes to hell and America devolves into a rank dictatorship, beware the bootlicker.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the other room, Kayda is entertaining Bryce and Zach, who are openly drooling, and the scene could not look more like Challengers if Zendaya were playing Kayda.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
4 June 2026
-
This plant, also known as rose bay, may also cause drooling, abdominal pain, depression, colic and even death, according to the ASPCA.—
Amy DeYoung,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Under Homelander’s rule, spineless toadies like The Deep would be the only remaining followers.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
His embrace of Trump‘s endorsement and refusal to admit that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election expose him as a toady.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suck (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suck%20%28up%29. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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