kowtow

[ kou-tou, -tou, koh- ]
See synonyms for kowtow on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
  1. to act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference.

  2. to touch the forehead to the ground while kneeling, as an act of worship, reverence, apology, etc., especially in former Chinese custom.

noun
  1. the act of kowtowing.

Origin of kowtow

1
First recorded in 1795–1805, kowtow is from the Chinese word kòutóu, literally, “knock (one's) head”
  • Sometimes ko·tow [koh-tou, -tou] /ˈkoʊˈtaʊ, -ˌtaʊ/ .

Other words from kowtow

  • kowtower, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use kowtow in a sentence

  • Kotow; pour our millions into the bottomless purses of spendthrifts; give them our most beautiful women.

    The Voice in the Fog | Harold MacGrath
  • As soon as he saw me he fell down upon his knees and "kotow'd" to me, with every mark of the liveliest gratitude.

    An Australian in China | George Ernest Morrison
  • A reception within the palace without the kotow could not even be discussed.

  • Even in the midst of a mess like this we'll have to kotow to his rank or he'll probably be reporting us.

    The U-boat hunters | James B. Connolly
  • I believe if you asked me to do the Chinese kotow, and bend to the earth before you, I'd secretly be dying to do it.

    The Militants | Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews

British Dictionary definitions for kowtow

kowtow

/ (ˌkaʊˈtaʊ) /


verb(intr)
  1. to touch the forehead to the ground as a sign of deference: a former Chinese custom

  2. (often foll by to) to be servile or obsequious (towards)

noun
  1. the act of kowtowing

Origin of kowtow

1
C19: from Chinese k'o t'ou, from k'o to strike, knock + t'ou head

Derived forms of kowtow

  • kowtower, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012