as in to fuss
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
the kind of office in which people feel they have to bootlick in order to get ahead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of bootlick
Its mission was to upset hierarchies, not reinforce them, and few things were more offensive to comedians than bootlicking.
—
Robert Lynch, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Call it the bootlicking trickle-down-effect.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Those who delay this fate the longest are bootlicking mediocrities — the survival of the sycophants.
—Michael Gerson, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Mar. 2018
Robert Lynch, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Call it the bootlicking trickle-down-effect.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Those who delay this fate the longest are bootlicking mediocrities — the survival of the sycophants.
—Michael Gerson, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bootlick
Verb
-
Ever the dedicated mother, Stacy runs to her adult daughter’s aid, fussing at her for not using a driver for her errands.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The crime went unsolved for many years, prompting Mason to start making this movie in the early 2000s, and the immediate conclusion to jump to is that the LAPD maybe wasn’t too fussed about it.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
-
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
-
The only other psychological need that rivals his thirst for toadying is the pursuit of .—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Chase Reid, meanwhile, just put together a better-than-point-per-game season in the OHL and has the loud tools — the escapability and skating speed in particular — that have NHL scouts positively drooling.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Predators respond with head shaking, gaping, drooling, and frantic licking.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Unless Trump’s art of the deal is all about truckling to Putin.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
-
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
-
And if fawning over flora is your thing, a new report by online casino Spinblitz might inspire you to book a getaway.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Bondi fawned over Trump in a way unbefitting the nation’s chief law-enforcement officer.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bootlick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bootlick. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
