as in to honey
to praise too much
a flunky who shamelessly butters up the boss
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Recent Examples of butter up
Some buttering up in your prompt can likely produce this.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Enter Rutte, who knew Trump from his time as Prime Minister, and who got to work buttering up the American president.
—Tom Nagorski, Time, 18 July 2025
Images of toadies buttering up an emperor come to mind.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images Anderson, currently a free agent, could be buttering up the Commanders to get a contract offer, but there is some truth to his statement.
—Victor Williams, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Add butter and pulse in or use a fork to break butter up into pea-size pieces.
—Mary Ann Esposito, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
In contrast, Tai — who eventually becomes a powerful lawyer as an adult — often relies on buttering up her witnesses and using courtroom theatrics to get her point across.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Enter Rutte, who knew Trump from his time as Prime Minister, and who got to work buttering up the American president.
—Tom Nagorski, Time, 18 July 2025
Images of toadies buttering up an emperor come to mind.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images Anderson, currently a free agent, could be buttering up the Commanders to get a contract offer, but there is some truth to his statement.
—Victor Williams, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Add butter and pulse in or use a fork to break butter up into pea-size pieces.
—Mary Ann Esposito, Boston Herald, 21 May 2025
In contrast, Tai — who eventually becomes a powerful lawyer as an adult — often relies on buttering up her witnesses and using courtroom theatrics to get her point across.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butter up
Verb
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Those harmonies — simultaneously honeyed and gravelly, providing just enough support without overshadowing, yet so powerful and full of potential — echoes Whitten.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
2 July 2024
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Enjoy flavored nuts, such as those that are candied, glazed, or honied, in moderation.—
Selene Yeager,
Health,
24 Feb. 2024
Verb
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The Royals shared a special video from Brett congratulating Perez.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
13 Sep. 2025
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The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers issued a statement congratulating Astin on his victory.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Wendy sits across from her and begins to stroke Lizzo’s palms with the tips of her aqua-and-pink acrylic nails.—
Allison P. Davis,
Vulture,
8 Sep. 2025
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But Rivera stroked into center field to end the game.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The bamboo is wedged into a workbench, the chef drapes one leg over the far end, and bounces up and down to massage the dough.—
Kim Kay,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
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According to Better Not Younger, massage the serum onto the scalp for two to three minutes once daily.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Mexican boxer issued his first public comments on X, praising Crawford while addressing his own future following the unanimous-decision defeat.—
Joel Thayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Fans took to the comments to react, with many praising them both for their humor.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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During the In Memoriam segment, the starry audience applauded loudly as Loni Anderson, Michelle Trachtenberg, George Wendt, John Amos and Maggie Smith were honored, and when Ozzy Osbourne, David Lynch and Quincy Jones' names appeared, the applause was particularly loud.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
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Trump later signed a baseball and applauded Aaron Judge's home run, waving his arms while speaking with box guests before taking a seat.—
Jillian Frankel,
People.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Conservative influencers including Chaya Raichik, author of the anti-trans hate account LibsOfTikTok, trashed those teams while commending those that asked their crowds to pause and reflect on the late provocateur.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
16 Sep. 2025
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At an intimate reception at the library-like wine bar on Mercer Street, Sanders, a 29-year veteran of Condé Nast, was commended by Anna Wintour.—
Freya Drohan,
Vogue,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Hanna When Kirsten Becken first reached out to me about joining the Femxphotographers collective, I was both flattered and intrigued.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
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An Amazon reviewer raved about how soft and flattering the material of the dress is.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Butter up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butter%20up. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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