brown-nose
verb [I] /ˈbrɑʊn.nəʊz/
/-noʊz/ informalDefinition
› to try too hard to please someone, especially someone in a position of authority, in a way that other people find unpleasant: The rest of the class were sick of watching him brown-nose.Praising insincerely or too eagerly
(Definition of brown-nose verb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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Synonyms and related words:
- bow and scrape idiom
- crawler noun (TRYING TO PLEASE)
- creep noun (PERSON)
- cupboard love noun
- dance attendance on sb idiom
- flattery will get you nowhere idiom
- glad-handing noun
- grovel verb (TRY TO PLEASE)
- idealize verb
- ingratiate verb
- left-handed compliment noun
- make up to sb phrasal verb
- massage sb's ego idiom
- obsequious adjective
- play up to sb phrasal verb
- schmooze verb
- suck up to sb phrasal verb
- sycophantic adjective
- toady noun
- unctuous adjective
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