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Glite Dictionary
to cozy up

to cozy up

6 7.0
To try to make someone like you for your own advantage, often in a fake way
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈkoʊzi ʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : acercarse
  • She's the one cozying up to me.
  • try to cozy up

Examples

  • Maybe Rand will now see it gains you nothing to cozy up to the establishment—they'll still stab you in the back.

    Blog text (30)

  • I see how you've been cozying up to his girl.

    Ring of Darkness (2004)

  • She set out to put that plan into action right away by cozying up to the prince every chance she got.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I agree, he's trying to cozy up to the moderates in the Republican Party.

    Blog text (2)

  • You're seeing people like your opponent try to, if not cozy up to Trump, cozy up to his policies.

  • She decided to cozy up to her boss to secure a promotion.

  • After realizing he needed favor, he tried to cozy up to the committee members.

  • To gain support for his project, Tom began to cozy up to influential colleagues.

Synonyms

to suck up
vsto cozy up
  • Informal
26 8.0

To praise someone to get their approval

seeks liking for advantage but not always with servility
to kiss up
vsto cozy up
  • Informal
16 7.9

Say nice things to someone to get their help or a reward

aims for liking or better treatment mainly for personal gain
to butter up
vsto cozy up
  • Informal
13 4.2

Say nice things to someone to get what you want

tries to win liking mainly to gain personal advantage
to sidle up
vsto cozy up
4 7.6

To move close to someone quietly to pretend to be friendly and get their favour

focuses on winning liking but not necessarily by a subtle approach
to play up
vsto cozy up
  • Informal
1 5.5

Try to get someone's approval by giving false praise

is specifically about earning liking or better treatment for gain
to shine up
vsto cozy up
  • Informal
1 8.0

Try to make someone like you by giving fake praise or acting friendly

shares that insincere aim but focuses on winning good treatment
to honey up to
vsto cozy up
  • Informal
8.8

To please someone with too many compliments to get a favor

does the same but with general intent to gain advantage
to cotton up
vsto cozy up
  • UK
9.8

To act friendly to someone to get what you want

emphasizes doing this mainly to secure personal advantage

Antonyms

to alienate
123 6.7

To make someone feel alone and lose support from others

to displease
28 4.7

To make someone feel annoyed or unhappy

How Insincere

to ingratiate
10 8.2
to butter up
  • Informal
13 4.2
to cozy up
  • Informal
6 7.0
to flatter
100 3.6

Surface Forms

cozy up infinitive
cozied up past
cozied up past participle
cozying up present participle
cozies up third person singular

Morphology

cozy + up

A learner who knows 'cozy' (comfortable/close) and the particle 'up' can plausibly infer a meaning like 'to become close or make oneself comfortable with someone', since 'up' often signals movement into a state. However, the specific pragmatic nuance — ingratiating oneself, often insincerely to gain advantage — is an idiomatic extension not fully predictable from the constituents, so full meaning requires exposure.

Etymology

Cozy up: The phrasal verb cozy up comes from the picture of moving close to someone to feel warm and comfortable, from cozy (comfortable) and up (moving closer). So, to cozy up to someone today means to act friendly and close, often 'to get a favor' or help, sometimes not sincere.