kowtow
verb (used without object)
to act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference.
kotow
-
a variation of
kowtow.
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.
From the date of his landing at Tientsin, he was persistently told that unless he agreed to perform the kotow, he could not possibly be permitted to an audience.
From China and the Manchus by Herbert Allen Giles
Why not seek to soften the hearts of his captors by a kotow as profound as it was novel; why not stand on his head?
From Sir Robert Hart The Romance of a Great Career, 2nd Edition by Juliet Bredon
Lord Amherst was even subjected to personal indignity and insult for refusing to perform the kotow or prostration before the Emperor.
From A Vindication of England's Policy with Regard to the Opium Trade by Charles Reginald Haines
In view of the surprise, laughter, and criticism of Europe, the Emperor modified his demand for the "kotow" to its symbolic performance by three deep bows.
From William of Germany by Stanley Shaw
He is to fall upon his knees at a word of command, and kotow with intermittent sequence to a great variety of persons, until his knees are stiff and his legs lame.
From Village Life in China A Study in Sociology by Arthur H. Smith
