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Glite Dictionary
to buck for

to buck for

9 8.2
To try hard to get praise or a promotion from someone like a boss
  • phrasal verb
  • /bʌk fɔr/
  • Archaic
translation icon : intentar conseguir
  • He has been bucking for approval from his boss to lead the new project.
  • bucking for a promotion

Examples

  • Looks like you're bucking for archbishop.

    Patton (1970)

  • I knew you were bucking for something.

    All the Young Men (1960)

  • You got a strange way of bucking for a promotion, my friend.

    The Big White (2005)

  • What are you bucking for sergeant, John?

    Against the Law (1997)

  • I heard that she is really bucking for a promotion at her company.

  • Many employees are bucking for recognition after their hard work on the last project.

Synonyms

to kiss ass
vsto buck for
  • Offensive
8 9.5

To try to please someone in power to get an advantage

tries broadly to gain favor by effort beyond mere flattering
to buck
vsto buck for
  • Informal
5 5.9

To try hard to get a higher job or more responsibility

focuses on winning approval or advantage from those in authority
to brown-nose
vsto buck for
  • Offensive
4 8.2

To flatter someone in power without meaning it to get their favor

seeks approval or promotion by effort rather than only flattery
to bow and scrape
vsto buck for
  • Archaic
3 9.4

Behave too politely and humbly to please someone

seeks advantage by trying hard rather than by extreme submissiveness
to toady
vsto buck for
1 9.1

Flatter and obey someone in power to get their favor

tries for advantage by effort, not only servile behavior
to bucking for a promotion
vsto buck for
  • Informal
1 6.2

To try hard to get a higher job at work

tries to gain approval or advantage in many situations
to bootlick
vsto buck for
  • Offensive
1 8.7

To praise or obey someone in power to get their support

aims to obtain approval through effort not just praise or submission

How Ambitious

to campaign
344 3.9
to lobby
100 4.0
to buck for
  • Archaic
9 8.2
to seek
∞ 1.0
to ask
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

buck for infinitive
bucked for past
bucked for past participle
bucking for present participle
bucks for third person singular

Morphology

buck + for

The sense 'to try hard to gain something' follows directly from combining 'buck' (to make an effort) with the preposition 'for' (indicating the target or purpose), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning. This verb+preposition composition matches common cross-linguistic patterns for ‘trying/aiming for’ and is therefore immediately comprehensible.

Etymology

Buck for may come from the image of a male animal, a buck, pushing and fighting to win a mate or the best place in a group. One popular story says people used this idea of an animal struggling to get attention, so to buck for something means 'to try hard to get attention or a better job', which is why it now means trying to gain favor.