Definition of Kowtow

1. Noun. A former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission.

Exact synonyms: Kotow
Generic synonyms: Bow, Bowing, Obeisance
Derivative terms: Kotow

2. Verb. Bend the knees and bow in a servile manner.
Exact synonyms: Genuflect, Scrape
Generic synonyms: Bow
Derivative terms: Genuflection, Genuflexion, Scrape, Scraping

3. Verb. Try to gain favor by cringing or flattering. "Sam and Sue kowtow"; "He is always kowtowing to his boss"
Exact synonyms: Bootlick, Fawn, Kotow, Suck Up, Toady, Truckle
Generic synonyms: Blandish, Flatter
Specialized synonyms: Court Favor, Court Favour, Curry Favor, Curry Favour
Derivative terms: Bootlicker, Fawner, Kotow, Toady, Truckler, Truckling

Definition of Kowtow

1. n. & v. i. The same as Kotow.

Definition of Kowtow

1. Verb. (intransitive) To kneel and bow low enough to touch one’s forehead to the ground. ¹

2. Verb. (intransitive) To bow very deeply. ¹

3. Verb. (intransitive figuratively) To act in a very submissive manner. ¹

4. Noun. The act of kowtowing. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Kowtow

1. to behave in a servile manner [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Lexicographical Neighbors of Kowtow

kouse
kouskous
kousso
koussos
koutekite
kovdorskite
kovsh
kovshes
kovshi
kow
kowan
kowari
kowhai
kowhais
kows
kowtow (current term)
kowtowed
kowtower
kowtowers
kowtowing
kowtows
kozachok
kozulite
kph
kpm
kra
kra-kra
kraal
kraaled
kraalhead

Literary usage of Kowtow

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. China, the Yellow Peril at War with the World: A History of the Chinese by James Martin Miller (1900)
"Battles with Pirates—The Embassy of Lord Amherst—Question of the kowtow—Kea-King Dies and is Succeeded by Taou-Kuang—Local Insurrections Throughout the ..."

2. China, Ancient and Modern: A History of the Chinese Empire from the Dawn of by James Martin Miller (1900)
"Battles with Pirates—The Embassy of Lord Amherst—Question of the kowtow—Kea-King Dies and is Succeeded by Taon-Kuang—Local Insurrections Throughout the ..."

3. The Life of Sir Halliday Macartney, K. C. M. G.: Commander of Li Hung Chang by Demetrius Charles de Kavanagh Boulger, James Crichton-Browne (1908)
"... proposed execution—A clever impostor—The Opium Question —Stories against the Minister—Queen Victoria receives Madame Kwoh— The kowtow ceremonial—Scene ..."

4. A Word a Day Intermediate by Evan-Moor Educational Publishers, Stephanie Wright, Sarita Chavez Silverman, Evan-Moor Corporation (2002)
"kowtow verb 1. to show respect or unquestioning obedience 2. in traditional China, a bow from a kneeling position where the forehead touches the ground as a ..."

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