verb
kowtow
KOW-tow
verb
1
To kneel and bow so low that the forehead touches the ground, as a sign of deep respect or submission.
"Officials once had to kowtow before the emperor."
2
To act in an excessively submissive or obedient way toward someone.
"He refused to kowtow to his boss's unreasonable demands."
"The company was accused of kowtowing to its biggest investor."
noun
1
The act of kowtowing.
"The ambassador performed the traditional kowtow."
How to Use Kowtow
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishOriginally a deep ceremonial bow; today mostly used for grovelling or being overly submissive to someone in power.
Common mistake
In modern English it's almost always used figuratively ("kowtow to demands"), rarely about the literal bow.
Common pairings
kowtow to someone
refuse to kowtow
Word Forms
kowtowed past tense, kowtows plural, kowtows singular
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Etymology
From Cantonese 叩頭 (kau tau), literally "knock head" — referring to the forehead striking the ground.