suck (up) 1 of 2

verb

Definition of suck (up)next
1
as in to fuss
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior a young lieutenant constantly sucking up to the commanding officer

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to soak (up)
to take in (something liquid) through small openings these lilacs sucked up all the water I added to the vase yesterday

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suck-up

2 of 2

noun

ˈsək-ˌəp How to pronounce suck-up (audio)
as in sycophant
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead I'd like to give my boss a birthday present, but I don't want to look like a shameless suck-up

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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 suck (up)
Noun
The implication is that American troop positioning throughout Europe will go to the biggest suck-ups. — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 22 Aug. 2026 Matthew eventually one-ups the request by losing his boxers as well and going full Winnie the Pooh, which earns him the respect of his fellow suck-ups. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2025 But the joke’s on us — Republican senators, who are the only players with any real power to stop them, have simply decided not to, all so that President Camacho can play at government with his favorite suck-ups. — S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2025 To be sure, plenty of companies are still committed to DEI programs, and not all executives are morphing into insufferable suck-ups. — Allison Morrow, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suck (up)
  1. fuss
  2. drink
  3. sycophant
  4. drool
  5. absorb
  6. lickspittle
  7. kowtow
  8. bootlicker
Verb
  • Perhaps only a pedant—or a hypocrite—would fuss about that kind of imprecision.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
  • If the offensive line’s healthy again, RB Saquon Barkley will ramble again, broadening QB Jalen Hurts’ margin for error and being fussed at by the coaching staff.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of fuss
Verb
  • Women should be able to drink at a party without being raped.
    — Jennifer Obel, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Haymitch has a supporting role in the original franchise, appearing as the disillusioned, hard-drinking mentor of Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of drink
Noun
  • For its sycophants, LIV Golf was a new flavor in the vanilla world of professional golf.
    — Brody Miller, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Our state is under siege by the skilled sycophants who surround the president and use his base desires as cover for their own destructive agendas.
    — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of sycophant
Verb
  • Mix these finds into your work wardrobe or your off-duty ensembles—they’re versatile enough to do it all, and the festive palette is worth drooling over.
    — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 7 Oct. 2026
  • There was one of Melissa Gorga’s sprinkle cookies ground into the carpet, and there was Kelsey Swanson, passed out under the piano and drooling on the parquet.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of drool
Verb
  • But as stock prices climb and bond yields increase, that relative advantage is diminishing, leaving less room for equities to absorb higher rates.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Not only have household budgets spent the last several years absorbing higher prices, but today's high rates mean that credit card balances and other monthly obligations are likely claiming a larger share of each paycheck, too.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of absorb
Noun
  • Rarely has a president been surrounded by such an array of toadies and lickspittles, operating beyond their competence in an atmosphere of organizational chaos.
    — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Firmly in control of the nation’s massive federal apparatus, MAGA and its Republican lickspittles in Congress have thrived on chaos.
    — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of lickspittle
Verb
  • But the league needs to protect its players, and be careful not to kowtow too much to its critics.
    — Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The decision has led to accusations that FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has kowtowed to Trump, who last year won FIFA’s inaugural peace prize, prompting European lawmakers to call for an investigation into how the prize was awarded, Le Monde reported.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of kowtow
Noun
  • The result of this dynamic tension of bootlickers, according to Bernhard’s narrator, is the perpetual elevation and official anointment of mediocrity.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
  • If all goes to hell and America devolves into a rank dictatorship, beware the bootlicker.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Definition of bootlicker

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Cite this Entry

“Suck (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suck%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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