- present participle of kowtow.
kowtowing
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Tuesday, Colbert claimed CBS management is kowtowing to Carr and showing a lack of corporate courage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
Bennett argued presciently that by kowtowing to radicals, “a great university was brought low by the very forces which modern universities came into being to oppose: ignorance, irrationality and intimidation.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
Normally, I wouldn’t suggest kowtowing to the Americans and their strange instance on measuring things their own way.
From Slate ● Nov. 21, 2025
Those early signs of kowtowing were bad indicators that the members of Youngstown State University’s faculty union just couldn’t get behind.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025
Other males and females exhibit their submission to the alpha male by bowing before him while making grunting sounds, not unlike human subjects kowtowing before a king.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
