as in to curry favor
to use flattery or the doing of favors in order to win approval especially from a superior
a departmental supervisor who apple-polishes shamelessly whenever higher-ups are about
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apple-polish
Verb
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The world saw this five-man group as an ideal of friendship, a community working and living together, fussing and fighting but making rough beauty out of it.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
21 Jan. 2025 -
Palmieri also has a 16-team no-trade list but, like Nelson, certainly should not be fussed about being moved to a Cup contender for a few months.—
Arthur Staple,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In babies and toddlers, the first signs, such as drooling and scratching, may appear mild.—
Laura Dorwart,
Verywell Health,
7 Jan. 2025
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Public health officials are urging residents who may have fed their pets Monarch raw products or other raw meat or dairy products, and who may have noticed their pet acting peculiar — lethargic, loss of motor control, drooling, etc. — to immediately contact their veterinarian.—
Susanne Rust,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Revelers fawned over the over-the-top ice sculptures serving up Silent Pool gin martinis, and caviar bites thanks to Aureta, whose very own caviar tins come labeled with her name and likeness.—
Zachary Weiss,
Vogue,
23 Dec. 2024
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Ebeling and Alvarez continued to shoot projects together and frequently sent each other mutually fawning messages.—
E. Alex Jung,
Vulture,
17 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Apple-polish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apple-polish. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
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