kowtow
Americanverb (used without object)
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to act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference.
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to touch the forehead to the ground while kneeling, as an act of worship, reverence, apology, etc., especially in former Chinese custom.
noun
verb
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to touch the forehead to the ground as a sign of deference: a former Chinese custom
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(often foll by to) to be servile or obsequious (towards)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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kowtowsimple
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kowtowssimple
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have kowtowedperfect
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has kowtowedperfect
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am kowtowingprogressive
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are kowtowingprogressive
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is kowtowingprogressive
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have been kowtowingperfect progressive
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has been kowtowingperfect progressive
Past
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kowtowedsimple
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had kowtowedperfect
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was kowtowingprogressive
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were kowtowingprogressive
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had been kowtowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of kowtow
First recorded in 1795–1805, kowtow is from the Chinese word kòutóu, literally, “knock (one's) head”
Explanation
Kowtow, which describes the act of kneeling and touching one’s head to the ground to show respect, used to be a custom in Chinese culture. Now it refers to acting like you're doing that, whether you actually bow or not. Kowtow is derived from the Chinese word k’o-t’ou, which literally means “knock the head.” As a verb, kowtow has the sense of “sucking up” or "flattering." Maybe you’re wondering when it would be appropriate to kowtow. The answer? When you want to worship, show respect, gain favor, or flatter. You might need to kowtow to your teacher if you failed a test, but if you kowtow to all your neighbor's requests, you might wind up mowing his lawn all summer.
Vocabulary lists containing kowtow
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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.
See Examples For:
For that reason, Iran’s officers may feel no compulsion to kowtow to Beijing.
From Slate ● May 7, 2026
Smaller domestic military budgets also reduce the need for companies to kowtow to politicians by maintaining unprofitable operations in their districts or supporting civilian projects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
The need to kowtow seems to have scarred Torres.
From New York Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
He’s also asking for more streamlining in zoning to combat the rampant NIMBYism that prevents more shelters and interim housing, and that some elected leaders kowtow to on a regular basis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2022
At his glance, Minli shrank to the ground in a humble kowtow.
From "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin
The head of the department is a micromanager and everyone kowtows to him.
From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2023
Even when her voice is high and sweet, she never kowtows.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 14, 2019
“If he kowtows to anyone, and people stop believing that he’s saying what he means, he’s going to kill the brand.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2014
And then he watches as Katrina kowtows to the Headless Horseman, in fact saving his life but also showing her shifting allegiance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2014
The kings had all thrown themselves into kowtows, each swearing he would return at the Moon Festival with splendid flowers.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
It kowtowed to every fashionable agenda to protect its independence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
Compromised himself in the moment, been less than human, not having to hold on to his dignity so much, and just kowtowed to this guy and got himself home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
She kowtowed to no one, including many of her fellow intellectuals, black and white.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 30, 2017
David Brent was the personification of what every person loathes about themselves when they inevitably succumb to the workforce—superficial, petty, and incompetent, just like the status quo he kowtowed to.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2016
“You’ve scraped and kowtowed enough, Sonny,” she said.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
On Tuesday, Colbert claimed CBS management is kowtowing to Carr and showing a lack of corporate courage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
Bennett argued presciently that by kowtowing to radicals, “a great university was brought low by the very forces which modern universities came into being to oppose: ignorance, irrationality and intimidation.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
Those early signs of kowtowing were bad indicators that the members of Youngstown State University’s faculty union just couldn’t get behind.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025
It will not want to be seen kowtowing to Washington.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2025
Other males and females exhibit their submission to the alpha male by bowing before him while making grunting sounds, not unlike human subjects kowtowing before a king.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
