sucks (up)

verb

present tense third-person singular of suck (up)
1
as in fusses
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
2
as in soaks (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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sucks (up)
  1. fusses
  2. drinks
  3. absorbs
Verb
  • Five-month-old Ladoo fusses in a hammock made from an old scarf.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of fusses
Verb
  • The impression is of a raucous house party—one in which secrets are spilled, kisses are stolen, and everyone drinks far too much.
    — Zing Tsjeng, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Current law says that if an accuser knowingly and willingly drinks too much, there is no crime for someone else to take advantage of the accuser’s incapacitation.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of drinks
Verb
  • Instead of entering the bloodstream through a shot, the peptide absorbs across the tissue lining the mouth.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The work focuses on a loss mechanism known as Boltzmann loss, which occurs because a material that absorbs light can also emit it.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of absorbs
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

sucks in
sucks (up)
sucks (up to)
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Cite this Entry

“Sucks (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sucks%20%28up%29. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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