suck up to

verb

1. informal,  to flatter for one's own profit; toady

Idioms and Phrases

Behave obsequiously towards, ingratiate oneself with, as in Now that he's the boss they're all sucking up to him, hoping to get big raises. [Vulgar slang; mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Badenoch has accused the government of deliberately collapsing the trial because "the prime minister wants to suck up to Beijing" - something it has denied.

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Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said this week that the ruling Labour Party collapsed the trial because “the prime minister wants to suck up to Beijing.”

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“It’s managed media. And it’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous. And you can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian — a criminal — administration in the Oval Office. That’s just not how this works.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"He's not going to poke President Trump in the eye. That would cause a problem for Canada. On the other hand he isn't going to suck up to Donald Trump," says Prof Cappe, who was also a high commissioner to the UK.

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Howard meanwhile had suggestions when it came to the ways other characters might suck up to him.

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Related Words

• deceive 
• delude 
• dupe 
• entice 
• entrap 
• seduce 
• tantalize 
• tempt 
• wheedle