Meanings
plural brown-noses · alternative brownnose
- figurativelyOne who sucks up; a bootlicker or sycophant.
Synonyms: bootlick, brown-noser, adulator, apple polisher, arse-kisser, arse-licker, ass-kisser, ass-licker
present singular third person brown-noses · participle present brown-nosing · participle past brown-nosed · past brown-nosed · alternative brownnose
- intransitiveTo flatter someone (especially a superior) in an obsequious manner, and to support their every opinion.
Synonyms: butter up, kiss up, toady, apple-polish, bootlick, bow and scrape, butter up, dickride
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne who sucks up; a bootlicker or sycophant.
verbTo flatter someone (especially a superior) in an obsequious manner, and to support their every opinion.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From brown + nose, a scatological reference.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Cantonese 擦鞋仔, 擦鞋
- 擦鞋仔 (caat³ haai⁴ zai²)one who brown-noses
- 擦鞋 (caat³ haai⁴)to flatter in obsequious manner
- 托大腳 /托大脚 (tok³ daai⁶ goek³)to flatter in obsequious manner
Chinese Mandarin 巴兒狗 /巴儿狗, 馬屁精 /马屁精
- 巴兒狗 /巴儿狗 (bārgǒu)one who brown-noses
- 馬屁精 /马屁精 (mǎpìjīng)one who brown-noses
- 拍馬屁 /拍马屁 (pāi mǎpì)to flatter in obsequious manner
- 拍馬 /拍马 (pāimǎ)to flatter in obsequious manner
Czech vlezdoprdelista, vlezdoprdelka
- vlezdoprdelistaone who brown-noses
- vlezdoprdelkaone who brown-noses
Dutch kontkusser
- kontkusserone who brown-noses
Finnish ruskeakielinen, mielistellä
- ruskeakielinenone who brown-noses
- mielistelläto flatter in obsequious manner
French lèche-bottes, lèche-cul
- lèche-bottesone who brown-noses
- lèche-culone who brown-noses
- cireur de pompesone who brown-noses
- cire-pompesone who brown-noses
- lécher le culto flatter in obsequious manner
- flagornerto flatter in obsequious manner
- cirer les pompesto flatter in obsequious manner
- lécher les bottesto flatter in obsequious manner
German Arschkriecher, Speichellecker
- Arschkriecherone who brown-noses
- Speichelleckerone who brown-noses
- Schleimerone who brown-noses
- arschkriechento flatter in obsequious manner
- jemandem in den Arsch kriechento flatter in obsequious manner
- jemandes Speichel leckento flatter in obsequious manner
- schleimento flatter in obsequious manner
Greek κωλογλείφτης, σφουγγοκωλάριος
- κωλογλείφτης (kologleíftis)one who brown-noses
- σφουγγοκωλάριος (sfoungokolários)one who brown-noses
Hungarian seggnyaló, nyal
- seggnyalóone who brown-noses
- nyalto flatter in obsequious manner
Indonesian penjilat, peres
- penjilatone who brown-noses
- peresto flatter in obsequious manner
Italian leccaculo, leccapiedi
- leccaculoone who brown-noses
- leccapiedione who brown-noses
- leccare il culoto flatter in obsequious manner
- leccare i piedito flatter in obsequious manner
- fare il ruffianoto flatter in obsequious manner
Japanese ゴマすり
- ゴマすり (gomasuri)one who brown-noses
Korean 빨다
- 빨다 (ppalda)to flatter in obsequious manner
Norwegian smiske, pisse oppetter ryggen
- smisketo flatter in obsequious manner
- pisse oppetter ryggento flatter in obsequious manner
- sleike oppetter ryggento flatter in obsequious manner
Polish wdupowłaz, włazić w dupę
- wdupowłazone who brown-noses
- włazić w dupęto flatter in obsequious manner
- lizać dupęto flatter in obsequious manner
Portuguese puxa-saco, lambe-botas
- puxa-sacoone who brown-noses
- lambe-botasone who brown-noses
Romanian lingău, pupincurist
- lingăuone who brown-noses
- pupincuristone who brown-noses
Russian подхали́м, лизоблю́д
- подхали́м (podxalím)one who brown-noses
- лизоблю́д (lizobljúd)one who brown-noses
- жополи́з (žopolíz)one who brown-noses
- лиза́ть за́дницу (lizátʹ zádnicu)to flatter in obsequious manner
Spanish pelota, chupamedias
- pelotaone who brown-noses
- chupamediasone who brown-noses
- lameculosone who brown-noses
- estómago agradecidoone who brown-noses
- adulónone who brown-noses
- aduladorone who brown-noses
- arrastradoone who brown-noses
- hacer la pelotato flatter in obsequious manner
- pelotearto flatter in obsequious manner
- lamer el culoto flatter in obsequious manner
Swedish rövslickare, slicka röv
- rövslickareone who brown-noses
- slicka rövto flatter in obsequious manner
Cite this entry
brown-nose. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brown-nose
“brown-nose.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brown-nose. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brown-nose,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brown-nose.
Source: brown-nose on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.