buttons

American

[buht-nz] / ˈbʌt nz /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

a bellboy or page in a hotel.

buttons British

/ ˈbʌtənz /

noun

informal (functioning as singular) a page boy

"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

Etymology

Origin of buttons

First recorded in 1840–50; so called from the many buttons of his uniform

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

buttons

Ermanno Scervino, for his part, unveiled a "corsair" woman, in a wide red and beige jacket with gold buttons, worn over a mini-short.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

Life is demanding, and everyone wants something that presses on the “good feeling” buttons in our brains.

From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2026

Watch the mushrooms more than the clock; a mix containing oyster mushrooms behaves differently than a pan full of white buttons.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

Darth Vader sports useless tape recorder-style buttons on his chest plate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

There was a row of tiny black buttons, which had taken an eternity to fasten back at the fashion emporium in Washington, running all the way up my ankle.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023