suck (up to)

verb

Definition of suck (up to)next
as in to fawn

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for suck (up to)
  1. fawn
  2. kowtow
  3. coax
  4. honey
  5. butter up
  6. wheedle
  7. cajole
  8. idolize
Verb
  • Fuentes enjoyed a brief flare of mainstream publicity last year, culminating in a fawning interview with former Republican kingmaker and broadcaster Tucker Carlson.
    — Will Carless, USA Today, 10 July 2026
  • Evelyn then gets to meet Juliette, who is visibly uncomfortable with this fangirl fawning all over her.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 10 July 2026
Definition of fawn
Verb
  • 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
  • Yet at the deadline, Frank said the quiet part out loud about how the Clippers used to build the roster to kowtow to Leonard, but the time for those maneuvers was over.
    — Law Murray, New York Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of kowtow
Verb
  • The American chased down the shot and coaxed an error from Muchová anyway.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 9 July 2026
  • Lift the spoon out gently to coax the flesh out from the skin.
    — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2026
Definition of coax
Verb
  • Her voice, languid and honeyed, can glide over sensual R&B, bouncing reggaetón, shimmering pop or nostalgic jazz.
    — Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.
    — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2024
Definition of honey
Verb
  • As the lots rolled by, Mosoff watched quietly, still fortified by the exclusive tasting laid on to butter up bidders prior to the action.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 25 May 2026
  • Ben spends the afternoon buttering up Ellie and praising her cake-icing skills, and even gives her the task of decorating the wedding cake.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 31 Mar. 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
  • Someone there has to be gobbier and start cajoling players into their proper positions.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • An honest summary would still pass the buck to the voters on a grossly dishonest scheme, but at least the voters might recognize a description that doesn’t cajole, coax and mislead them.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026
Definition of cajole
Verb
  • Fedorov, just 35 years old, has spent his career idolizing the startup, entrepreneurial culture of Silicon Valley, and sought to recreate it in Ukraine.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 16 July 2026
  • The legend of Caitlin Clark was blossoming, with millions of average Americans idolizing her family-first background and humble Midwestern roots.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2026
Definition of idolize
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

“Suck (up to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suck%20%28up%20to%29. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All