butter

American  

[buht-er] / ˈbʌt ər /

noun

1. the fatty portion of milk, separating as a soft whitish or yellowish solid when milk or cream is agitated or churned.

2. this substance, processed for cooking and table use.

3. any of various other soft spreads for bread.

   apple butter; peanut butter.

4. any of various substances of butterlike consistency, as various metallic chlorides, and certain vegetable oils solid at ordinary temperatures.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put butter on or in; spread or grease with butter.

2. to apply a liquefied bonding material to (a piece or area), as mortar to a course of bricks.

3. Metalworking. to cover (edges to be welded together) with a preliminary surface of the weld metal.

verb phrase

1. butter up 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.

butter British  

/ ˈbʌtə /

noun

1. 1. an edible fatty whitish-yellow solid made from cream by churning, for cooking and table use

   2. ( as modifier )

      butter icing

2. any substance with a butter-like consistency, such as peanut butter or vegetable butter

3. to look innocent, although probably not so

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verb

1. to put butter on or in

2. to flatter

butter Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing butter

• bread and butter
• bread-and-butter letter
• know which side of bread is buttered

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Other Word Forms

• butterless adjective
• butterlike adjective
• unbuttered adjective

Etymology

Origin of butter

before 1000; Middle English; Old English butere < Latin būtȳrum < Greek boútȳron

Example Sentences

Start with brown butter — cooled, but still fragrant — and mix it with brown sugar, flour, a generous measure of cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

You might have seen the caramelised biscuit Biscoff creme egg sitting alongside others in your local supermarket recently - a white chocolate version, Terry's chocolate orange, Lindt, Reese's peanut butter and more.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

He keeps plastic butter containers stuffed with rings found while he’s out searching for fun.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Across the backends of the internet, cheeky characterizations of Norris-as-god still abound: Chuck Norris can believe it’s not butter, Chuck Norris doesn’t dodge bullets—they dodge him, Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

“You gonna eat peanut butter and jelly all your life?”

From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli

Related Words

• margarine
• oil
• shortening