Phrase guide

butter up

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To flatter, especially with the intent of personal gain.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, informal, transitive

Examples

  • He takes every opportunity to butter up the boss.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: kiss up, suck up, toady, blandander, blandish, butter up, cajole, fast-talk, canoodle, carny, coax, collogue, croodle, engle, fleech, honey around, honey up, hum, ingle, inveigle, soap, soft-sawder, soft-soap, stroke, sweet-talk, tweedle, twist, wheedle, whilly, word, apple-polish, bootlick, bow and scrape, brownnose, dickride, duchess, fawn, fawn over, fellate, flannel, kiss someone's ass, kiss someone's ring, kowtow, lick someone's ass, lick someone's balls, overflatter, overpraise, overrate

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

flatter with the intention of getting something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: brown-nose

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: flatter, blandish

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

47 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَمَلَّقَ (tamallaqa) — to flatter
  • Bulgarian: лаская (laskaja) — to flatter
  • Catalan: afalagar — to flatter
  • Catalan: fer lo bus — to flatter
  • Chinese Mandarin: 討好 /讨好 (tǎohǎo) — to flatter
  • Chinese Mandarin: 奉承 (fèngchéng) — to flatter
  • Chinese Mandarin: 拍馬屁 /拍马屁 (pāimǎpì) — to flatter
  • Czech: mazat někomu med kolem huby — to flatter
  • Dutch: vleien — to flatter
  • Finnish: imarrella — to flatter
  • French: flatter — to flatter
  • French: caresser dans le sens du poil — to flatter
  • German: Honig ums Maul schmieren — to flatter
  • German: schmeicheln — to flatter
  • Hebrew: הֶחְמִיא (heẖmí) — to flatter
  • Hindi: मक्खन लगाना (makkhan lagānā) — to flatter
  • Interlingua: adular — to flatter
  • Italian: lusingare — to flatter
  • Japanese: お世辞を言う (o-seji o iu) — to flatter
  • Japanese: 諂う (hetsurau) — to flatter
  • Japanese: 胡麻をする (goma wo suru) — to flatter
  • Korean: 아첨하다 (acheom-hada) — to flatter
  • Kyrgyz: жасакерденүү (jasakerdenüü) — to flatter
  • Kyrgyz: кошаматтануу (koşamattanuu) — to flatter
  • Kyrgyz: кошамат кылуу (koşamat kıluu) — to flatter
  • Kyrgyz: көңүл көтөрүү (köŋül kötörüü) — to flatter
  • Kyrgyz: сооротуу (soorotuu) — to flatter
  • Kyrgyz: жагуу (jaguu) — to flatter
  • Kyrgyz: май төшөө (may töşöö) — to flatter
  • Kyrgyz: бөйпөңдөө (böypöŋdöö) — to flatter
  • Norwegian: smiske — to flatter
  • Polish: słodzić — to flatter
  • Polish: podbijać bębenka — to flatter
  • Polish: podbić bębenka — to flatter
  • Portuguese: bajular — to flatter
  • Russian: льстить (lʹstitʹ) — to flatter
  • Russian: ума́сливать (umáslivatʹ) — to flatter
  • Spanish: lisonjear — to flatter
  • Spanish: hacer el buz — to flatter
  • Spanish: hacer la pelota — to flatter
  • Spanish: incensar — to flatter
  • Spanish: almibarar — to flatter
  • Swedish: smöra — to flatter
  • Swedish: smickra — to flatter
  • Telugu: పొగడు (pogaḍu) — to flatter
  • Telugu: ఉబ్బివేయు (ubbivēyu) — to flatter
  • Telugu: ఉబ్బించు (ubbiñcu) — to flatter