back-patting
Americannoun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ignoring the reality on the floor, McCarthy kept smiling, back-patting, waving to his family in the gallery, pumping his fist.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 6, 2023
The four segments, roughly 45 minutes in total, start with a general overview featuring the director, Mr. Butler and Mr. Hanks as well as designers chock full of information and enhanced with plenty of back-patting.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 23, 2022
Nevertheless, she got a lot of back-patting and huzzahs from her followers.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2022
The script’s self-important, back-patting, “Women can be warriors too!” attitude around that plot point matches very oddly with its frankness everywhere else about how Hamilton and Davis handle their fights.
From The Verge ● Nov. 1, 2019
With the men, Victor is jovial and back-patting, asking twice for their names, as if he means to pass on a compliment or a complaint.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
