butter
the fatty portion of milk, separating as a soft whitish or yellowish solid when milk or cream is agitated or churned.
this substance, processed for cooking and table use.
any of various other soft spreads for bread: apple butter; peanut butter.
any of various substances of butterlike consistency, as various metallic chlorides, and certain vegetable oils solid at ordinary temperatures.
to put butter on or in; spread or grease with butter.
to apply a liquefied bonding material to (a piece or area), as mortar to a course of bricks.
Metalworking. to cover (edges to be welded together) with a preliminary surface of the weld metal.
butter up, Informal. to flatter someone in order to gain a favor: He suspected that they were buttering him up when everyone suddenly started being nice to him.
Origin of butter
1Other words from butter
- but·ter·less, adjective
- but·ter·like, adjective
- un·but·tered, adjective
Words that may be confused with butter
- budder, butter
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use butter in a sentence
In a small, lightly buttered pan over medium heat, spoon ¼-cupfuls of batter.
Richardson says that his frothy, buttered coffee is “the best part of his morning,” helping him “hone in on important tasks.”
Hack Your Health: 6 Biohacks That Might Surprise You | DailyBurn | December 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTFestival must-eats include the crispy-skinned buttered chicken, giant pretzels, and anything with ‘wurst’ in the name.
The witness described a greasy film on the car and a lonely piece of buttered toast lying nearby.
The Week in Weird: A Skyscraper Missing Elevators, ‘Frankenfish’ & More | Anna Brand | August 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTServe the roulades with thin slices of buttered brown bread and lemon wedges.
It has been remarked before, if you remember, that she knew particularly well on which side her bread was buttered.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodI had buttered the towel so that it should not stick to it; it did not, but it did not stick together either.
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie | George Brenton LaurieThe old woman brought in honey, fresh dates, sheep's milk and a buttered roll of meal.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman | Eugne SuePlace a piece of buttered paper over the dish, and bake in a moderate oven till it is tender, basting it frequently.
Dressed Game and Poultry la Mode | Harriet A. de SalisCover with buttered paper and simmer as gently as possible till it is done enough.
Dressed Game and Poultry la Mode | Harriet A. de Salis
British Dictionary definitions for butter
/ (ˈbʌtə) /
an edible fatty whitish-yellow solid made from cream by churning, for cooking and table use
(as modifier): butter icing Related adjective: butyraceous
any substance with a butter-like consistency, such as peanut butter or vegetable butter
look as if butter wouldn't melt in one's mouth to look innocent, although probably not so
to put butter on or in
to flatter
Origin of butter
1- See also butter up
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with butter
In addition to the idioms beginning with butter
- butter up
- butter wouldn't melt in one's mouth
also see:
- bread and butter
- bread-and-butter letter
- know which side of bread is buttered
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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