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
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Recent Examples of kowtow
Franklin Graham, son of Billy—one of those classic, homegrown examples of slight decline from one American generation to the next; his dad could sometimes be a bigot, but at least the man could preach—kowtowed to Trump, directing his prayer more to the man than to God.
—
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Biden advisers and allies have suspected that Mr. Netanyahu was deliberately holding off on a cease-fire deal to hand the victory to Mr. Trump in an effort to kowtow to him.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Rather than challenging that xenophobic ideology, many policy makers kowtow to it, helping to shift the political dial more to the right.
—Banseka Kayembe, refinery29.com, 22 Aug. 2024
CEXs have already had to kowtow to former EU member the United Kingdom’s inane crypto laws, forcing exchanges to code new front-ends and to exclude certain products and services from their UK service.
—Sean Lee, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for kowtow 
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Biden advisers and allies have suspected that Mr. Netanyahu was deliberately holding off on a cease-fire deal to hand the victory to Mr. Trump in an effort to kowtow to him.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Rather than challenging that xenophobic ideology, many policy makers kowtow to it, helping to shift the political dial more to the right.
—Banseka Kayembe, refinery29.com, 22 Aug. 2024
CEXs have already had to kowtow to former EU member the United Kingdom’s inane crypto laws, forcing exchanges to code new front-ends and to exclude certain products and services from their UK service.
—Sean Lee, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for kowtow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kowtow
Verb
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The world saw this five-man group as an ideal of friendship, a community working and living together, fussing and fighting but making rough beauty out of it.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
21 Jan. 2025
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Palmieri also has a 16-team no-trade list but, like Nelson, certainly should not be fussed about being moved to a Cup contender for a few months.—
Arthur Staple,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Hamlet’s toadying friends, the hangers-on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, are Izzard’s own talking hands, popping up to face her like a pair of Muppets.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2024
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This is the aspect of his production that made his reputation but is sometimes denigrated as superficial and toadying.—
Sebastian Smee,
Washington Post,
20 Nov. 2023
Verb
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Symptoms of poisoning include upset stomach, drooling, loss of appetite, depression of the central nervous system, convulsions and irregular heartbeat.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2025
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While the animal may be seen drooling or swaying, which can spark fear of rabies, opossums are extremely resistant to the disease, according to the Humane Society of the United States.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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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
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During the campaign, most of Trump’s fallen rivals blasted him in exceptional terms—before truckling to support him against Hillary Clinton.—
James Fallows,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2017
Verb
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The case has yet to be submitted to the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.—
Christine Pelisek,
People.com,
7 Feb. 2025
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The following criteria has been established for the contest: Children who live in Savage, ages 5-12, can submit one name.—
Alex Malm,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The fawning coverage was not a product of quirky editorial judgment or an unusual commitment to chronicling the arts.—
Nicole Hong,
New York Times,
30 Dec. 2024
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After Netflix’s Rebel Ridge really put British actor Aaron Pierre on the map, everyone’s been fawning over him and touting him as their new celebrity crush.—
Victoria Uwumarogie,
Essence,
23 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Kowtow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kowtow. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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