Synonyms of suck

suck 1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈsək 

informal + sometimes impolite

as in to smell

to be objectionable or unsatisfactory

it's amazing that a song that sucks so bad can be so popular

Synonyms & Similar Words

• smell
• bite
• stink

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rule
• rock

suck (up)

2 of 3

verb (2)

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

• fuss
• curry favor
• kiss up to
• drool
• kowtow
• apple-polish
• defer
• fawn
• submit
• toady
• bootlick
• court
• woo
• truckle
• ingratiate
• gush
• worship
• cringe
• endear
• slobber
• overpraise
• slaver
• idolize
• coax
• flatter
• cajole
• adulate
• yield
• blandish
• cower
• demean
• debase
• abase
• grovel
• soft-soap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• despise
• disdain
• scorn
• challenge
• jeer
• scoff
• defy
• brave
• gibe

2

as in to soak (up)

to take in (something liquid) through small openings

these lilacs sucked up all the water I added to the vase yesterday

Synonyms & Similar Words

• soak (up)
• drink
• absorb
• take up
• swallow
• sponge
• imbibe
• sip
• gulp
• slurp
• quaff
• guzzle
• swig
• swill

suck-up

3 of 3

noun

ˈsək-ˌəp 

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

• sycophant
• lickspittle
• bootlicker
• toady
• brownnoser
• minion
• fan
• flunky
• henchman
• parasite
• sponge
• admirer
• devotee
• slave
• apple-polisher
• fawner
• yes-man
• pupil
• apparatchik
• hanger-on
• lackey
• partisan
• disciple
• leech
• follower
• sponger
• enthusiast
• stooge
• satellite
• company man
• adherent
• lapdog
• zealot
• worshipper
• cultist
• idolater
• running dog
• groveler
• votary
• camp follower
• convert
• me-tooer

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of suck

Verb

In 2018 a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 fan blade snapped, shattering a window and sucking a woman’s head and torso outside of the plane. — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

Yet a full 20 years after Obama was elected on a promise to break free of Bush’s legacy, policymakers keep getting sucked into the region by an incentive structure that makes the use of force attractive and minimizes its short-term costs. — Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026

Noun

Ditto his despicable aides and Cabinet members, his unprincipled sycophants and suck-ups. — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2026

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

Phrases Containing suck

• suck (up)
• suck in