truckle

verb

truck·​le ˈtrə-kəl 

truckled; truckling ˈtrə-k(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

: to act in a subservient manner : submit

truckler

ˈtrə-k(ə-)lər 

noun

Did you know?

When truckle was first used in English in the 15th century, it meant "small wheel" or "pulley." Such small wheels were often attached to the underside of low beds to allow them to be easily moved under high beds for storage. These beds came to be known as truckle beds (or trundle beds), and a verb truckle—meaning "to sleep in a truckle bed"—came into being. By the 17th century, the fact that truckle beds were pushed under larger standard beds had inspired a figurative sense of truckle: "to yield to the wishes of another" or "to bend obsequiously." The initial verb sense became obsolete; the newer sense is fairly rare but is still in use.

Synonyms

• apple-polish
• bootlick
• fawn
• fuss
• kowtow
• suck (up)
• toady

Choose the Right Synonym for truckle

fawn, toady, truckle, cringe, cower mean to behave abjectly before a superior.

fawn implies seeking favor by servile flattery or exaggerated attention.

waiters fawning over a celebrity

toady suggests the attempt to ingratiate oneself by an abjectly menial or subservient attitude.

toadying to his boss

truckle implies the subordination of oneself and one's desires or judgment to those of a superior.

truckling to a powerful lobbyist

cringe suggests a bowing or shrinking in fear or servility.

a cringing sycophant

cower suggests a display of abject fear in the company of threatening or domineering people.

cowering before a bully

Examples of truckle in a Sentence

the kind of guy who truckles to anyone who might present a lucrative opportunity

Recent Examples on the Web

Garbarino enjoyed his time with the Southern river rats and mountain folk, and their refusal to truckle to authority delights him to this day. —David Samuels, Town & Country, 18 Oct. 2013

During the campaign, most of Trump’s fallen rivals blasted him in exceptional terms—before truckling to support him against Hillary Clinton. —James Fallows, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

from the lower position of the truckle bed

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing truckle

• truckle bed

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