butter sb up
informal — phrasal verb with butter /ˈbʌt.ər/
/ˈbʌt̬.ɚ/ verb [T] Definition
› to be very kind or friendly to someone or try to please them, so that they will do what you want them to do: You'll have to butter them up a bit before they'll agree.Urging and persuadingCausing somebody to act
(Definition of butter sb up from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Urging & persuading, but you might be interested in these topics from the Expressing agreement & support topic area:
Browse the Dictionary
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- brainwash verb
- charm verb
- exhort verb
- get (sth) through (to sb) phrasal verb
- get round sb phrasal verb
- incite verb
- persuasion noun (CHANGING IDEAS)
- persuasive adjective
- pitch noun (PERSUASION)
- pitch verb (PERSUADE)
- preach to the converted idiom
- preach verb (PERSUADE)
- pressurize verb
- rope sb in phrasal verb
- snow job noun
- spiel noun
- sweet talk noun
- talk sb down phrasal verb (PERSUADE)
- talk sb out of sth phrasal verb
- well argued adjective
Topic:
Urging & persuading
Our dictionaries
Word of the Day
throw sb together
If two people are thrown together, they meet each other in a way that was not planned, or events...
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
