Synonyms for kowtow
ˈkaʊˈtaʊ, -ˌtaʊ, ˈkoʊ-kow·tow

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1. kowtow, kotowverb

   a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission

   Synonyms:
   kotow

2. scrape, kowtow, genuflectverb

   bend the knees and bow in a servile manner

   Synonyms:
   scrape up, truckle, scratch up, bootlick, fawn, come up, kotow, suck up, scrape, scratch, toady, grate, skin, genuflect

3. fawn, toady, truckle, bootlick, kowtow, kotow, suck upverb

   try to gain favor by cringing or flattering

   "He is always kowtowing to his boss"

   Synonyms:
   soak up, sidle up, cower, cotton up, sop up, bootlick, fawn, cozy up, imbibe, crawl, draw, grovel, shine up, absorb, cringe, take up, truckle, take in, suck, play up, kotow, scrape, creep, genuflect, suck up, toady

Matched Categories

1. • Bow

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How to use kowtow in a sentence?

1. Dan Gainor:

   He tries to equate laws like voter ID, that are supported by the majority of every racial group, with genocide. What he is doing is covering for a nation that has a systematic program of beating, torturing, raping and murdering Uyghur Muslims. And he insanely compares that to America, the most free nation on Earth, eSPN, like its corporate owners Disney, has gone out of its way to kowtow to China.

2. Clarence Thomas:

   This is a circus. It's a national disgrace. And from my standpoint as a Black American, as far as I'm concerned, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity Blacks, who in any way deign to think for themselves, and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured, by a committee of the U.S. Senate rather than hung from a tree.

3. Jim Dean:

   Clinton's economic policy speech reflects a very clear understanding that the Democratic Party and the vast majority of the American people want a president who will fight alongside … Elizabeth Warren and refuse to kowtow to wealthy and powerful interests on Wall Street.

4. Chris Murphy:

   Its time for Republicans and President Trump to decide whose side theyre on, are they going to stand with the 90 percentof Americans who want universal background checks, or are they going to once again kowtow to the desires of the gun lobby?

5. Mehmet Oz:

   When things didn't work out the way he wanted, he began to work with the media to silence people who are raising their hands and saying we can do a better job, that is really dangerous, because now, all of a sudden, everyone’s got to kowtow to one opinion.