kiss up

verb

To pay false flattery to another, particularly a superior at work, in order to get special attention.

“He kisses up more than he works.”

Similar
butter upfawntoadyapple-polishbootlickbow and scrapebrown-nosedickride
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Meanings

verbkiss up (third-person singular simple present kisses up, present participle kissing up, simple past and past participle kissed up)

present singular third person kisses up · participle present kissing up · participle past kissed up · past kissed up · alternative kiss-up

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo pay false flattery to another, particularly a superior at work, in order to get special attention.

    Yes, I watched Joe kissing up the boss and was very annoyed when he got my promotion!

    Synonyms: butter up, fawn, toady, apple-polish, bootlick, bow and scrape, brown-nose, butter up

  2. idiomaticintransitiveTo pay false flattery.

    He kisses up more than he works.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo pay false flattery to another, particularly a superior at work, in order to get special attention.

Similar
butter upfawntoadyapple-polishbootlickbow and scrapebrown-nosebutter updickrideduchessfawnfawn overfellateflannelhoney aroundhoney upkiss someone's asskiss someone's ringkowtow
Also see
apple-polishbootlickbow and scrapebrown-nosebutter updickridefawnfawn overfellateflannelkiss asskiss someone's asskissy uplick someone's asslick someone's ballsoverflatteroverpraiseoverratesuck uptoady
Cite this entry
APA

kiss up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kiss%20up

MLA

“kiss up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kiss%20up. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kiss up,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kiss%20up.

Source: kiss up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.