curry favor

Cultural  

1. “Currying favor” with someone means trying to ingratiate oneself by fawning over that person: “The ambassador curried favor with the dictator by praising his construction projects.”

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curry favor Idioms  

1. Seek gain or advancement by fawning or flattery, as in Edith was famous for currying favor with her teachers. This expression originally came from the Old French estriller fauvel, “curry the fallow horse,” a beast that in a 14th-century allegory stood for duplicity and cunning. It came into English about 1400 as curry favel —that is, curry (groom with a currycomb) the animal—and in the 1500s became the present term.

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Example Sentences

President Trump has a reputation for trying to curry favor with investors.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

On the international stage, Starmer managed to curry favor both with President Trump and European leaders, a major feat of diplomacy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Hence, it is reasonable to think they will use January to tidy up their affairs and reset investor expectations to curry favor with Elliott.

From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025

The highly-watched antitrust trial also comes as Zuckerberg and other tech executives try to curry favor with the Trump administration.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2025

“And people who want to curry favor with his father,” Simmon added.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss