bootlick: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Informal, derogatory
Quick answer
What does “bootlick” mean?
To behave in a servile, excessively flattering manner towards someone in authority to gain favour.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To behave in a servile, excessively flattering manner towards someone in authority to gain favour.
To engage in obsequious, fawning behaviour, often involving the humiliation of oneself to curry favour or avoid disfavour.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both variants are used and understood. 'Bootlick' may be more common than the verb form 'to lick someone's boots'. No significant spelling or grammatical differences.
Connotations
Identical strong negative connotations of sycophancy and moral weakness in both varieties.
Frequency
Moderate and comparable frequency in both varieties. The noun 'bootlicker' is more frequently used than the verb in everyday speech.
Grammar
How to Use “bootlick” in a Sentence
SUBJ + bootlick + OBJ (Person in authority)SUBJ + bootlick + one's way + PREP PHRASE (e.g., into favour/to the top)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “bootlick” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- He's always in the manager's office trying to bootlick.
- She accused him of bootlicking his way onto the committee.
American English
- Stop bootlicking the principal just to get out of detention.
- He bootlicked the senator for an entire year before getting a staff job.
adverb
British English
- He smiled bootlickingly at the visiting dignitary.
- She agreed bootlickingly with every point the chair made.
American English
- He nodded bootlickingly throughout the brutal critique.
- The report was written bootlickingly to please the board.
adjective
British English
- His bootlicking behaviour was obvious to everyone in the department.
- She was tired of the bootlicking assistants following the CEO around.
American English
- The bootlicking intern finally got the empty promotion.
- It was a bootlicking letter full of false praise.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used critically to describe colleagues who flatter superiors for career advancement. 'He's just bootlicking the new director to get the project lead role.'
Academic
Rare in formal academic writing. May appear in political science, sociology, or history texts analysing power dynamics and sycophancy.
Everyday
Common in informal criticism of someone seen as insincerely flattering a person with power (teacher, boss, popular peer).
Technical
Not used in technical contexts.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “bootlick”
- Confusing it with simple 'flatter'. Bootlicking implies a humiliating degree of servility for gain. Incorrect: 'She bootlicked her friend with a nice compliment.' Correct: 'He bootlicked the landlord hoping for a rent reduction.'
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It's moderately common in informal, critical speech and writing. Its noun form 'bootlicker' is more frequent.
'Flatter' can be mild and sometimes sincere. 'Bootlick' is always strong, insincere, servile, and motivated by a desire for personal gain or to avoid punishment.
Rarely. It is considered informal and derogatory. In formal contexts, synonyms like 'be obsequious', 'fawn', or 'act sycophantically' are preferred.
It comes from the literal (and humiliating) act of licking someone's boots as a sign of extreme subservience. The verb form emerged in the mid-19th century.
To behave in a servile, excessively flattering manner towards someone in authority to gain favour.
Bootlick: in British English it is pronounced /ˈbuːt.lɪk/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈbuːt.lɪk/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “lick someone's boots (the source idiom)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine someone literally LICKING the BOOTS of a boss to clean them. This vivid, humiliating image captures the meaning perfectly.
Conceptual Metaphor
SERVILITY IS PHYSICAL DEBASEMENT (licking a dirty, low object). POWER IS ELEVATION (the boot-wearer is above).
Practice
Quiz
Which scenario BEST illustrates 'bootlicking'?