to kiss ass

Examples

• All

• Listen, Joe, I don't kiss ass.

  Money for Nothing (1993)

• I do not want to live life kissing ass, and I do not want to live life helping people who take me for granted and use me.

  Blog text (16)

• I got to kiss ass to keep you out of trouble.

  Night and the City (1992)

• You have to kiss ass just to get a piece of it.

  Fiction book (1998)

• Too busy kissing ass to care about me, is that it?

  The Crush (1993)

• You kissed ass to get where you are.

  Blog text (22)

• I won't kiss ass in front of these people.

  Dead Man Walking (1995)

• I had to kiss ass and stay late because my day got derailed by a phone call.

  I Kill Giants (2017)

• If anyone's gonna be kissing ass, it's them.

  Late Night with the Devil (2024)

• To get the promotion, he had to kiss ass and flatter his boss during meetings.

Synonyms

S

to suck up

vsto kiss ass

• Informal

26 8.0

To praise someone to get their approval

is similar but stresses targeting someone with real power

K

to kiss up

vsto kiss ass

• Informal

16 7.9

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

is the same effort but emphasizes doing so toward those in power

B

to butter up

vsto kiss ass

• Informal

13 4.2

Say nice things to someone to get what you want

is the same idea but often used more vulgarly or bluntly

I

to ingratiate

vsto kiss ass

10 8.2

Try to make someone like you by praising them or doing kind things

is more bluntly about flattering someone in power for advantage

C

to curry favor

vsto kiss ass

• US

10 7.4

To try to get someone to like you by praising them or being too helpful

is more narrowly about flattering powerful people for advantage

B

to buck for

vsto kiss ass

• Archaic

9 8.2

To try hard to get praise or a promotion from someone like a boss

focuses more on flattering powerful people rather than general career effort

B

to brown-nose

vsto kiss ass

• Offensive

4 8.2

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

is the same action but often said in cruder informal language

T

to toady

vsto kiss ass

1 9.1

Flatter and obey someone in power to get their favor

is close but often used as a cruder spoken expression

P

to play up

vsto kiss ass

• Informal

1 5.5

Try to get someone's approval by giving false praise

is similar but usually implies doing so toward a powerful person

B

to bootlick

vsto kiss ass

• Offensive

1 8.7

To praise or obey someone in power to get their support

covers the same flattering aim but with stronger vulgar tone

L

to lick someone's boot

vsto kiss ass

• Offensive

8.9

Praise or act very friendly toward a boss to get something for yourself

is similar but often used more graphically and vulgar

L

to lick someone's ass

vsto kiss ass

• Offensive

9.9

To praise someone too much to get their favor in a rude way

is the same idea but can be less coarse in expression

A

to apple-polish

vsto kiss ass

• Informal

9.0

To give praise that is not real to get a favor

is the same behavior but often used in informal speech

K

to kiss someone's ring

vsto kiss ass

• Informal

8.9

To show too much respect and do what a person in power wants

is the same submissive act but often implies ritualised respect

L

to lick the CEO's balls

vsto kiss ass

• Offensive

9.9

To praise and obey a powerful person to get their support

is similar but can be expressed less graphically in many contexts

How Ingratiating

to suck up

• Informal

26 8.0

to kiss ass

• Offensive

8 9.5

to flatter

100 3.6

to compliment

95 1.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology