{i} act of bowing low, act of kneeling and touching one's forehead to the ground; servile act
{f} bow low, kneel and touch one's forehead to the ground; grovel, act in a servile manner
disapproval If you say that someone kowtows to someone else, you are criticizing them because they are too eager to obey or be polite to someone in authority. See how stupidly they kow-tow to persons higher in the hierarchy. to be too eager to obey or be polite to someone in authority kowtow to (ke tou ; because when you bow very low you hit your head on the floor)