Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kiss up

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.57 in modern English

Syllables: kiss up
IPA

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To pay false flattery to another, particularly a superior at work, in order to get special attention.

Transitive verb

verb

To pay false flattery.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"Yes, I watched Joe kissing up the boss and was very annoyed when he got my promotion!"
"He kisses up more than he works."

Usage

Inflected Forms

kisses up (present, singular) kissing up (participle, present) kissed up (participle, past) kissed up (past) kiss-up (alternative)

Phrases

kiss up to Kiss-up kiss up, kick down

Frequently Paired Words

kiss up, kick down

Synonyms

butter up fawn toady apple-polish bootlick bow and scrape brownnose dickride duchess fawn over fellate flannel

Questions

What does kiss up mean?: To pay false flattery to another, particularly a superior at work, in order to get special attention.

How to pronounce kiss up

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kiss up”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “kiss up”.
Repeat and practice — Say “kiss up” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.