suck up to

IPA/sˈʌk ˈʌp tuː/
IPA/sˈʌk ˈʌp tuː/

suck up to — phrasal verb

  • suck up tobase form
  • sucks up to3rd person singular
  • sucking up to-ing form
  • sucked up topast simple

1. to say and do things you think a powerful person will like, in order to win thei

1.片語動詞及物B2
釋義

to say and do things you think a powerful person will like, in order to win their approval or gain an advantage — usually with the hint that the effort feels fake or excessive to others

例句

Amara always sucks up to the regional manager before performance reviews.

suck up to + [authority figure]

Dmitri bought an expensive bottle of whisky for the director, hoping to suck up to him.

同義詞
  • butter up

    softer and more lighthearted; often used for a one-off favour rather than ongoing behaviour

  • curry favour with

    more formal; suggests calculated flattery over time

  • brown-nose

    much more vulgar and insulting; implies grovelling behaviour

  • fawn over

    focuses on excessive admiration rather than a clear goal of gaining advantage

反義詞
  • stand up to

    to resist or challenge authority rather than seek its approval

文法句型

suck up to + [person in authority]

用法筆記

Always followed by a person or group as the object — you cannot suck up to an idea or a thing. Strongly negative in tone: the speaker thinks the behaviour is insincere and self-serving.

常見錯誤

❌He sucked up his boss.
✅He sucked up to his boss.
💡the preposition 'to' is required; you cannot 'suck up' someone directly.
❌She sucked up to get the job and it worked well for her.
✅She sucked up to get the job and it paid off for her.
💡using 'suck up to' without a tone of disapproval sounds odd; the phrase almost always carries negative judgement.