as in to fuss
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
you can try kowtowing to the boss, but he'll see right through you
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kowtow
Zen and others view any warming of ties with Beijing as kowtowing to an officially atheist regime.
—
Eryk Michael Smith, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Trump and Musk could attempt to undermine American democracy and create a Russian-style power vertical without kowtowing to Putin or abandoning Ukraine.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
Israel’s supporters praised President Joe Biden for standing by an ally in its time of need, while critics accused him of kowtowing to Netanyahu and facilitating war crimes by flooding Israel with arms.
—Joseph Krauss, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
Other sizable media companies have kowtowed to Trump in a bid to make legal pressures vanish.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kowtow
Eryk Michael Smith, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Trump and Musk could attempt to undermine American democracy and create a Russian-style power vertical without kowtowing to Putin or abandoning Ukraine.
—Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
Israel’s supporters praised President Joe Biden for standing by an ally in its time of need, while critics accused him of kowtowing to Netanyahu and facilitating war crimes by flooding Israel with arms.
—Joseph Krauss, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
Other sizable media companies have kowtowed to Trump in a bid to make legal pressures vanish.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kowtow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kowtow
Verb
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Throughout the footage, Leah, from Fort Worth, Texas, can be seen fussing Lunch Box and fawning over her sweet foster pup.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
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The baby occasionally fussed, and Khalil turned around and smiled at his wife and son.—
Chloe Atkins,
NBC news,
23 May 2025
Verb
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The Empire was a sinister, one-note shadow: faceless Storm Troopers, toadying fascistic generals, a cackling emperor, and of course Darth Vader, an enigmatic demon masked and cloaked in black.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
25 Apr. 2025
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The only other psychological need that rivals his thirst for toadying is the pursuit of .—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Check out Sussman’s website to drool over his selection and call ahead to see if your favorites are available.—
Jeanette Marantos,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
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There’s nothing wrong with ogling a juicy rack of ribs or drooling over a hunk of brisket slowly smoking over hot coals.—
Katie Rife,
EW.com,
11 May 2025
Verb
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Unless Trump’s art of the deal is all about truckling to Putin.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
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Garbarino enjoyed his time with the Southern river rats and mountain folk, and their refusal to truckle to authority delights him to this day.—
David Samuels,
Town & Country,
18 Oct. 2013
Verb
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Applications will be reviewed in the order they are submitted.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
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This includes 11 hours devoted to record-keeping, five hours for tax planning, and eight hours for completing and submitting forms.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Jacobs’ date, Doja Cat, ran over to join the pair, upon which Erivo immediately began fawning over Doja’s sky-high shoes.—
Leigh Nordstrom,
Footwear News,
5 May 2025
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Here was a guy who tours the world playing 120 concerts a year to fawning fans, and here was my kid, not even three, sitting front row in his home studio in Varanasi, gobsmacked by the breakneck speed at which Mishra’s fingers slid up and down the neck of his surbahar (bass sitar).—
Ashlea Halpern,
AFAR Media,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kowtow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kowtow. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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