SUCKING (UP TO) Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

sucking (up to)

verb

Definition of sucking (up to)

present participle of suck (up to)

as in buttering up

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for sucking (up to)

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
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 buttering up

Verb

His stature will prevent draftniks from fawning over him, and even opponents aren’t immune to underestimating him in person.

— Antonio Morales, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Naturally, the Venice Film Festival was swiftly fawning over George Clooney on Wednesday, as the Oscar-winning star arrived (via boat, of course) to pick up his Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of fawning

Verb

Energy from the sun helps reactions between those blocks along, coaxing them to form polymers, or longer chains of molecules.

— Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026
Some analysts argue that the Obama administration set a hopeful precedent on AI cooperation by coaxing China to join the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016.

— Andy Browne, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of coaxing

Verb

What distinguishes Camper, at least musically, is his deference to classic R&B signifiers without kowtowing to pastiche.

— Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 27 Apr. 2026
After all, the series largely avoids other topical issues of modern campus life, from freedom of speech restrictions to administrators kowtowing to autocracies.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026

Definition of kowtowing

Verb

In the clip, Bottomley’s character can be seen cajoling Howells’ Taylor into having a drink and letting loose at a house party.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2026
Someone there has to be gobbier and start cajoling players into their proper positions.

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 4 July 2026

Definition of cajoling

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sucking (up)

sucking (up to)

suckle

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Style

“Sucking (up to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sucking%20%28up%20to%29. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sucking (up to)

verb

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