sucking (up to)

verb

Definition of sucking (up to)next
present participle of suck (up to)
as in buttering up

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sucking (up to)
  1. buttering up
  2. fawning
  3. coaxing
  4. kowtowing
  5. cajoling
  6. wheedling
Verb
  • 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
  • The preview for The Muppet Show reveals special guest Sabrina Carpenter buttering up Miss Piggy backstage.
    — Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Definition of buttering up
Verb
  • But the food justified every rave review, hour-long wait for a table, and fawning Instagram image.
    — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 June 2026
  • Pelley’s fawning interview with then-president Biden tells a different story.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 June 2026
Definition of fawning
Verb
  • The things museums collect are often obstinate and unyielding; research and context can be a way of coaxing them to speak.
    — Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 26 June 2026
  • Ryan started strong, coaxing an Ohtani lineout to right on the game’s first pitch, then striking out Andy Pages and Freddie Freeman.
    — Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 25 June 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
  • Someone there has to be gobbier and start cajoling players into their proper positions.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • After years of lobbying, cajoling – virtually pleading – state lawmakers back in 2024 finally granted the state Lottery an online presence.
    — Editorial, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
Definition of cajoling
Verb
  • In a bid to rekindle the couple’s honeymoon phase, Yasmin troubleshoots by wheedling a chief executive role for him at payment processing company Tender (run by Max Minghella‘s inscrutable puppet-master Whitney Halberstram), and throwing her husband a lavish costume party for his 40th birthday.
    — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 18 Jan. 2026
Definition of wheedling
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

sucking (up)
sucking (up to)
suckle
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Cite this Entry

“Sucking (up to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sucking%20%28up%20to%29. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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