kowtow
Americanverb (used without object)
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kowtows,
present (3rd person singular)
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kowtowed,
past participle, past
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kowtowing
present participle
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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:
Meanwhile, fan group Unsere Kurve said the DFB should not "kowtow to capital" by allowing Red Bull to keep Klopp on their books.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 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
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
But consumer advocates spent decades ruing South Dakota’s choice to kowtow to credit card companies.
From Slate ● Jun. 28, 2021
The little girl threw herself on the ground in a trembling kowtow before the beast.
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
“I had to do three kowtows to the sun,” Mr. Hunt told The Guardian.
From New York Times ● Nov. 16, 2022
Even when her voice is high and sweet, she never kowtows.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 14, 2019
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
Pinmei stumbled, pulling Yishan with her so they both ended up in the humblest of kowtows.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
To leave James alone on a first-round island might be unfair, but the Lakers have kowtowed to him plenty in his eight years here.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
It kowtowed to every fashionable agenda to protect its independence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
“They kowtowed to this apparent superstar with poor results.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
What would have been really offensive to a lot of us is if he had quietly kowtowed to the establishment and said nothing.
From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2017
“You’ve scraped and kowtowed enough, Sonny,” she said.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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
"A kowtowing of the East towards the West is not a rising East."
From BBC ● May 1, 2025
In short, the agency put forth a rule that addresses the problem head-on without prevaricating or kowtowing to corporate America.
From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2023
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.
