curry favor
idiomatic phrase
: to seek to gain favor by flattery or attention
… eager to curry favor with superiors by reporting any trivial transgression.—
Robert Wallace and H. Keith Meltony
Robert Wallace and H. Keith MeltonyInstead of rolling back environmental regulations to curry favor with corporate interests, California has passed the toughest green laws in the nation …—Alexander Nazaryan
Alexander NazaryanExamples of curry favor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani rejected the notion Tuesday that his country is attempting to curry favor with President Trump by gifting a $400 million luxury jet to the U.S. to replace Air Force One while Trump’s in office.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 20 May 2025
That means that charismatic separatist leaders could curry favor with the U.S. president by appealing to him directly.
—Ryan D. Griffiths, Foreign Affairs, 20 May 2025
There are only so many rooms a foreign diplomat can book to curry favor with the president, and that might total into thousands of dollars, at most.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 14 May 2025
The New Yorker article quotes people who interpret Bezos’s attempts to curry favor with the Trump administration as those of a businessman looking to protect his financial interests during uncertain political times.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for curry favor
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 20 May 2025
That means that charismatic separatist leaders could curry favor with the U.S. president by appealing to him directly.
—Ryan D. Griffiths, Foreign Affairs, 20 May 2025
There are only so many rooms a foreign diplomat can book to curry favor with the president, and that might total into thousands of dollars, at most.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 14 May 2025
The New Yorker article quotes people who interpret Bezos’s attempts to curry favor with the Trump administration as those of a businessman looking to protect his financial interests during uncertain political times.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for curry favor
Cite this Entry
“Curry favor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curry%20favor. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share