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butter

[ buht-er ]
/ ˈbʌt ər /
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See synonyms for: butter / buttered / buttering on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object)
Verb Phrases
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.
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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as


Origin of butter

before 1000; Middle English; Old English butere<Latin bĆ«tȳrum<Greek boĂștȳron

OTHER WORDS FROM butter

but·ter·less, adjectivebut·ter·like, adjectiveun·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. 2023

How to use butter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for butter

butter
/ (ˈbʌtə) /

noun
  1. an edible fatty whitish-yellow solid made from cream by churning, for cooking and table use
  2. (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
verb (tr)
to put butter on or in
to flatter
See also butter up

Word Origin for butter

Old English butere, from Latin bƫtyrum, from Greek bouturon, from bous cow + turos cheese
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

butter

The American HeritageŸ Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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