as in to fawn
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suck (up to)
Verb
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In reality, the media fawned over her in the aftermath of her death.—
Jeff Wise,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026 -
Infantino’s gesture might strike people unacquainted with World Cup history as shamelessly fawning.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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The public demand was made based on a social media post from right-wing journalist Laura Loomer, who pointed to a video in which Rice vowed to hold companies accountable for kowtowing to Trump if Democrats regain power in the federal government.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The final arrangement is a mystery revealed only after it’s coaxed out of its mold.—
Megan Paetzhold,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
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In a leafy New Jersey suburb, Baratta set out to coax Barley, a mix of pit bull, beagle and shepherd, into the afternoon air with a wind chill pushing the temperature down into the 20s.—
Cathy Bussewitz,
Fortune,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Her voice, languid and honeyed, can glide over sensual R&B, bouncing reggaetón, shimmering pop or nostalgic jazz.—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
16 Oct. 2025
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Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
2 July 2024
Verb
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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
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Some buttering up in your prompt can likely produce this.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Verb
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Chef Albert was a restaurateur trying to wheedle a good review out of a tough restaurant critic.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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To cajole people into eating snacks laden with spicy gherkin flavor, the folks at Frito Lay need to get themselves out of a real pickle.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
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And six years later, Donovan is still prodding and cajoling the forward to crash the boards and control his dribble and contribute physically to the game.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Having access to the network of former UConn superstars is still surreal for Vukosa, who grew up idolizing Breanna Stewart and attends the same high school as Hall of Famer Sue Bird and WNBA MVP Tina Charles.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
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While Willis, an Atlanta native who idolized Michael Vick growing up, attempts to downplay his mobility, the people around him, those who have coached him, view it as his superpower.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Suck (up to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suck%20%28up%20to%29. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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