1 B2 idiomatic informal
To praise or flatter someone excessively in order to gain their favour or persuade them to do something.
"He spent the whole morning buttering up his manager before asking for an extra week of holiday."
separable
butter up
B2 informal separable transitive
To flatter or praise someone excessively in order to get something from them.
In plain English
To say very nice things to someone because you want them to do something for you.
What does "butter up" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To spread butter on someone — making them smooth and easy to handle, like spreading butter on bread.
Actually means
To say very nice things to someone because you want them to do something for you.
Usage tip
Always implies an ulterior motive — you butter someone up because you want a favour, a good grade, or special treatment. Slightly humorous in tone. Very widely understood across all varieties of English.
Words that pair with "butter up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
boss teacher parent compliment praise favour
How to conjugate "butter up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
butter up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
butters up
he/she/it
Past simple
buttered up
yesterday
Past participle
buttered up
have + pp
-ing form
buttering up
continuous
Hear "butter up" in the wild
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Other ways to say "butter up"
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