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
  • What was interesting is that after work, pretty much everyone goes down to the pub and drinks beers for a couple of hours before heading home.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Alice craves mentorship but can’t help noting how often Nora drinks on the job; Nora, who discovers Alice having a panic attack in the bathroom, wonders whether the newbie stands a chance of making it in the Bureau.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
Definition of drinks
Verb
  • Costs have not hit consumers yet as the new government absorbs the difference for now.
    — Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The study also looked at the secondhand clothing market, specifically noting whether a country absorbs used textiles or exports them to other nations.
    — Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 4 Aug. 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 Aug. 2026.

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