Synonyms for kowtow

Most common

bow and scrape · toady · truckle · bootlick

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

Definitions

1. v. 1

   To kneel and bow low enough to touch one’s forehead to the ground.

2. v. 2

   To grovel, act in a very submissive manner; to show obeisance to (someone or something) in such a manner; to bow.

Related words

Word family

kowtower

Other spellings

kotow kow-tow

Forms

Past participle

kowtowed
e.g. kowtowed → toadied, fawned, apple-polished, crawled…

Example sentences

• toady Carmen only bakes the bosses' favourite cake to toady up to him.

Popularity over time

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters

fawn¹

5 letters

crawl¹, toady

6 letters

scrape¹

7 letters

truckle

8 letters

bootlick

9 letters

genuflect

In other languages

Français

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