What does kowtowing mean?
Kowtowing is the act of bending down so that the forehead touches or comes close to the ground, a gesture historically associated with profound respect, homage, or submission. In modern figurative use, it describes behavior in which someone demonstrates excessive or servile deference, often to flatter, appease, or gain the approval of a more powerful person. The expression can be literal when discussing historical or cultural practices, but it is usually figurative—and often derogatory—when applied to contemporary social or workplace conduct. The word carries a strong implication of inequality: one person lowers themselves before another. It is consequently useful for describing both traditional acts of reverence and modern examples of ingratiating politeness, fawning, or submission.
gerundKowtowing is the act of bending down and touching or nearly touching the ground with one's forehead as a sign of profound respect, submission, or homage. Figuratively, it refers to expressing excessive or servile deference toward someone.
- The act of bowing deeply and touching or nearly touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect, homage, or submission.
- Behavior that shows excessive, servile, or ingratiating deference to another person or to authority.
"The young employee kowtowed to the director in an effort to win his approval."
"Historical accounts describe courtiers kowtowing before the emperor."
"He refused to kowtow to the committee simply to secure their approval."
From a Chinese custom in which a person lowered their forehead to the ground, the English word now often describes figurative displays of exaggerated respect or submission.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does kowtowing come from?
The English word comes from Chinese, through the transliterated form kowtow, which is generally understood as combining a word for “knock” with one for “head.” The expression refers to the traditional Chinese gesture of lowering the forehead to the ground in homage. English borrowed and adapted the term in the early 19th century, and it later broadened from the physical gesture to figurative displays of excessive submission.
Related word forms
How kowtowing is actually used
The literal sense refers to a traditional gesture of profound respect. The figurative sense is generally critical or dismissive, suggesting that a person's deference is exaggerated, insincere, or excessively subservient.
Easily confused with kowtowing
“Kowtow” names the traditional gesture or the act of making it, while “kowtowing” usually presents the action in progress or refers to the broader behavior of showing excessive deference.