SUCK (UP TO) Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

suck (up to)

verb

Definition of suck (up to)

as in to fawn

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for suck (up to)

Verb

Soon, the president of the United States (John Goodman) and his cabinet of fawning nitwits come to Casa Digger — because that’s how powerful Digger is — to plan the response.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
Daunte Bacheyie impressed, and the Orange's kick returners showed much to fawn over, but Syracuse must stay disciplined as its schedule gets tougher.

— CBS News, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of fawn

Verb

But the league needs to protect its players, and be careful not to kowtow too much to its critics.

— Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2026
The decision has led to accusations that FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has kowtowed to Trump, who last year won FIFA’s inaugural peace prize, prompting European lawmakers to call for an investigation into how the prize was awarded, Le Monde reported.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 6 July 2026

Definition of kowtow

Verb

River crossing One of the most terrifying moments comes when James is forced to coax Odin across two decaying logs above a rushing river.

— Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 2026
Rescuers carefully coaxed the snake away from the home and boxed it up for relocation shortly after their arrival.

— Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of coax

Verb

Yet, this will take a great deal of finesse, including pushing through a bill in parliament by buttering up Lord Hawthorne (Hugh Bonneville), who is willing to trade his vote for a night out with Susie’s brother, Jack (Harry Goodwins).

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
These packages, which often run into thousands of dollars, attract many celebrities and corporate buyers who see the Games as a chance to butter up clients or reward top performers.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of butter up

Verb

Chef Albert was a restaurateur trying to wheedle a good review out of a tough restaurant critic.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
In a bid to rekindle the couple’s honeymoon phase, Yasmin troubleshoots by wheedling a chief executive role for him at payment processing company Tender (run by Max Minghella‘s inscrutable puppet-master Whitney Halberstram), and throwing her husband a lavish costume party for his 40th birthday.

— Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 18 Jan. 2026

Definition of wheedle

Verb

But the Marlins plan to be moderately active in free agency — regardless of whether the owners succeed in cajoling the players to accept a salary cap and salary floor in what are expected to be contentious labor negotiations.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026
But Ridgeway pushes on, trying various means — flattery, insults, amateur psychology — to cajole her into delivering a new Ripley book.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of cajole

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

suck-ups

suck (up to)

sucky

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Suck (up to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suck%20%28up%20to%29. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of suck (up to)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

discreet

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes