kowtow
verb/ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/
/ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/
[intransitive] (informal, disapproving)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they kowtow | /ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/ /ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/ |
| he / she / it kowtows | /ˌkaʊˈtaʊz/ /ˌkaʊˈtaʊz/ |
| past simple kowtowed | /ˌkaʊˈtaʊd/ /ˌkaʊˈtaʊd/ |
| past participle kowtowed | /ˌkaʊˈtaʊd/ /ˌkaʊˈtaʊd/ |
| -ing form kowtowing | /ˌkaʊˈtaʊɪŋ/ /ˌkaʊˈtaʊɪŋ/ |
- kowtow (to somebody/something) to show somebody in authority too much respect and be too willing to obey them
- Her pride wouldn’t allow her to kowtow to anyone.
Word Originearly 19th cent.: from Chinese kētóu, from kē ‘knock’ + tóu ‘head’.
Check pronunciation:
kowtow