kowtow C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception US /ˈkaʊˈtaʊ/ UK /ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to act with excessive deference; to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground He refused to kowtow to the demands of the overbearing client. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to act with excessive... grovelfawncringetoadybowgenuflecttruckle ↔ Opposites defyresiststand up to Etymology AI details From Chinese (Mandarin) kòutóu, from kòu ('to knock, bump') + tóu ('head'), referring to the act of kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground in submission. kòu Chinese tóu Chinese View etymology graph -> Topics Senses & Perception External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # kowtow **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ˈkaʊˈtaʊ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/ ## Meanings 1. to act with excessive deference; to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground ## Examples - He refused to kowtow to the demands of the overbearing client. ## Synonyms - grovel - fawn - cringe - toady - bow - genuflect - truckle ## Antonyms - defy - resist - stand up to ## Roots and Affixes - Root: kòu - Root: tóu ## Etymology From Chinese (Mandarin) kòutóu, from kòu ('to knock, bump') + tóu ('head'), referring to the act of kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground in submission. ## AI Etymology Kowtow comes from Chinese (Mandarin) kòutóu, from kòu ('to knock, bump') + tóu ('head'), referring to the act of kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground in submission. The etymological trail includes Chinese kòu, Chinese tóu. Its current verb use means "to act with excessive deference; to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground". ## Topics - Senses & Perception markdown