How to Use kowtow in a Sentence

kowtow

verb
  • Maybe there’s a lesson here in not kowtowing to the diehards in advance.
    Vulture, 25 Aug. 2023
  • To her surprise, though, Julius has changed and has stopped kowtowing to the rich and powerful.
    Chancellor Agard, EW.com, 14 May 2020
  • His refusal to kowtow to the traditions of Congress was writ large.
    Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 12 July 2022
  • Sensing the vibe shift, workers will wake up to the fact that businesses won’t kowtow to their workers.
    Jack Kelly, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2023
  • But credit Texas for refusing to kowtow to the Big 12’s supreme power.
    Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Mar. 2021
  • Kudos to those who refused to kowtow to the fears that drunkards might declare the tree to be their own private Everest.
    al, 5 Feb. 2020
  • In fact, the PML-N, like the opposition, is keener to kowtow to the army than to defend media freedom.
    The Economist, 19 Apr. 2018
  • It won’t be bullied: There are few countries around the world that refuse to kowtow to American pressure.
    Charlie Campbell / Beijing, Time, 8 June 2018
  • And yet one Western leader seems quite taken with the idea of forcing private firms to kowtow.
    Fortune, 24 Aug. 2019
  • As such, employers will have to kowtow to workers to an extent.
    Byruth Umoh, Fortune, 6 Dec. 2022
  • Sensing the vibe shift, workers will wake up to the fact that businesses won’t kowtow to their employees.
    Jack Kelly, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023
  • This is the team pushing Biden not to kowtow to fearmongering about deficits and inflation.
    Bryce Covert, The New Republic, 4 May 2021
  • Doing business with China is one thing, but for the NBA to kowtow to the demands of one of the world’s most brutal regimes in the pursuit of profit is, frankly, revolting.
    Fox News, 7 Oct. 2019
  • Certainly, Cathay won't be the last company to kowtow to Beijing.
    Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2019
  • Like Macartney, Mrs May would prefer to get all this without kowtowing.
    The Economist, 31 Jan. 2018
  • But does that indicate William Barr would kowtow to the President? Senators are going to try to find out.
    Sadie Gurman, WSJ, 12 Feb. 2019
  • But in a landscape in which global sports leaders have often kowtowed to China and its economic clout, the WTA’s move in 2021 still sent a strong message.
    Christopher Clarey, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2023
  • But India remains the world’s second most populous nation and one of the few in Asia unwilling to kowtow to Chinese might.
    Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2022
  • But outcry against the company for kowtowing to the Chinese government has been harsh.
    Patrick Shanley, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2019
  • Compromised himself in the moment, been less than human, not having to hold on to his dignity so much, and just kowtowed to this guy and got himself home.
    Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2024
  • The head of the department is a micromanager and everyone kowtows to him.
    Roxane Gay, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2023
  • The company was met with backlash and accused of kowtowing to the Chinese government.
    Patrick Shanley, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2019
  • That needs to be fixed, and fast: officials can’t kowtow to players who yell at them, while giving bad calls to players who play respectfully.
    Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Mar. 2021
  • Another highlight found Kroeger, wearing a lightning bolt t-shirt, kowtowing to the rabid crowd.
    John Benson, cleveland, 10 Aug. 2023
  • The citizens of Florida deserve better than someone who kowtows to the gun lobby.
    Lucy McBath, Essence.com, 17 June 2017
  • And she was indeed defined by a steely independent streak that did not kowtow to outsiders, whether established civil rights figures or the leader of the free world.
    BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2021
  • But Donald Trump doesn't like talking things out, or principled beliefs, or people not kowtowing to him.
    Luke Darby, GQ, 23 Sep. 2017
  • Definitely won't hold my breath and will expect futher (SIC) kowtowing.
    Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 4 Jan. 2018
  • Cutting ties from Maxim’s, as protesters demand, could anger Beijing, as it would be seen as kowtowing to their demands.
    Grady McGregor, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2019
  • Many people consider the Fiji Times to be the last independent media voice in a country where many news outlets kowtow to the government.
    Fox News, 17 May 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kowtow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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