Skip to content
WORDS, MADE CLEAR.
Your everyday English companion

English dictionary

button Meaning & Definition

/ˈbʌt.ən/

What Does Button Mean?

Button is a noun that means A knob or disc that is passed through a loop or (buttonhole), serving as a fastener. It can also mean A mechanical device designed to be pressed with a finger in order to open or close an electric circuit or to activate a mechanism. As a verb, it means To fasten with a button. As a verb, it means To stop talking.

Button at a Glance

Part of speechnoun, verb
Pronunciation/ˈbʌt.ən/
Syllables2
Synonymspush, clit and clitoris
Antonymsunbutton
Pluralbuttons
Verb formsbuttons, buttoning, buttoned

Button Definition (Noun)

  1. A knob or disc that is passed through a loop or (buttonhole), serving as a fastener.

    April fastened the buttons of her overcoat to keep out the wind.

  2. A mechanical device designed to be pressed with a finger in order to open or close an electric circuit or to activate a mechanism.

    Pat pushed the button marked "shred" on the blender.

  3. An on-screen control that can be selected as an activator of an attached function.

    Click the button that looks like a house to return to your browser's home page.

  4. A badge worn on clothes, fixed with a pin through the fabric.

    The politician wore a bright yellow button with the slogan "Vote Smart" emblazoned on it.

  5. A bud.
  6. The calyx of an orange.
  7. The head of an unexpanded mushroom.
  8. The clitoris.
  9. The center (bullseye) of the house.
  10. The soft circular tip at the end of a foil.
  11. A plastic disk used to represent the person in last position in a poker game; also dealer's button.
  12. The player who is last to act after the flop, turn and river, who possesses the button.
  13. A person who acts as a decoy.
  14. A raised pavement marker to further indicate the presence of a pavement-marking painted stripe.
  15. The end of a runway.
  16. A methaqualone tablet (used as a recreational drug).
  17. A piece of wood or metal, usually flat and elongated, turning on a nail or screw, to fasten something, such as a door.
  18. A globule of metal remaining on an assay cupel or in a crucible, after fusion.
  19. A knob; a small ball; a small, roundish mass.
  20. A small white blotch on a cat's coat.
  21. A unit of length equal to ⁄12 inch.
  22. The means for initiating a nuclear strike or similar cataclysmic occurrence.
  23. The oblate spheroidal mass of glass attaching a stem to either its bowl or foot.
  24. In an instrument of the violin family, the near-semicircular shape extending from the top of the back plate of the instrument, meeting the heel of the neck.
  25. Synonym of endbutton, part of a violin-family instrument.
  26. Synonym of adjuster.
  27. The least amount of care or interest; a whit or jot.
  28. The punchy or suspenseful line of dialogue that concludes a scene.
  29. The final joke at the end of a comedic act (such as a sketch, set, or scene).
  30. A button man; a professional assassin.
  31. The final segment of a rattlesnake's rattle.
  32. A clove .
  33. Pedicle; the attachment point for antlers in cervids.

Button as a Verb

  1. To fasten with a button.
  2. To be fastened by a button or buttons.

    The coat will not button.

  3. (Can we clean up this sense?) To stop talking.

Noun

  1. One who adjusts, especially for the insurance industry's employment title "loss adjuster" (or "claims adjuster" in the United States).

Noun

  1. A mechanical device meant to be pressed with a finger in order to open or close an electric circuit or to activate a mechanism.

    Pat pushed the button marked "shred" on the blender.

  2. A unit of length equal to 1/12 inch.

Noun

  1. In a violin-family instrument, the carved wooden plug which sits in the bottom block of the instrument.

Verb

  1. To stop talking.

Synonyms of Button

Button synonyms and antonyms →

Antonyms of Button

Button in a Sentence

April fastened the buttons of her overcoat to keep out the wind.

Pat pushed the button marked "shred" on the blender.

Click the button that looks like a house to return to your browser's home page.

The politician wore a bright yellow button with the slogan "Vote Smart" emblazoned on it.

The coat will not button.

Word Forms & Grammar

button (plural buttons)

button (third-person singular simple present buttons, present participle buttoning, simple past and past participle buttoned)

Words That Rhyme With Button

chitinchitonsittenbutt inmuttongluttoncut incutinphytonrhytongittinshut insit-inunbuttonshut-inrutincut-inglutincut of muttonbetontwittenwitena tonbut incalcutta inccitt inchesnut inchesnutt inchestnut incitta in

Origin of Button

Origin 1: From Middle English boton, botoun, from Old French boton (Modern French bouton), from Old French bouter, boter (“to push; thrust”), ultimately from a Germanic language. Doublet of bouton, Biden, and beat. More at butt.

Origin 2: From Middle English butonen, botonen, from the noun (see above).

Button Pronunciation

Button is pronounced /ˈbʌt.ən/ and has 2 syllables, with the main stress on the first syllable (bʌt).

Common Questions About Button

Is button a noun or a verb?

Button is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.

What is another word for button?

Words with a similar meaning to button include push, clit and clitoris. See the full list of button synonyms and antonyms.

What is the opposite of button?

The opposite of button is unbutton.

What is the plural of button?

The plural of button is buttons.

What is the past tense of button?

The past tense of button is buttoned. The present participle is buttoning.

More About Button On Meaning Stash

Button In Our Articles

More Words Starting With “But”