butter

American  

[buht-er] / ˈbʌt ər /

noun

• butter
  plural

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)

• butters,
  present (3rd person singular)
• buttered,
  past participle,  past
• buttering
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

• butterless
  adjective
• butterlike
  adjective
• unbuttered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• butter
  plural

Participles

• buttering
  present
• buttered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• butter
  simple
• butters
  simple
• have buttered
  perfect
• has buttered
  perfect
• am buttering
  progressive
• are buttering
  progressive
• is buttering
  progressive
• have been buttering
  perfect progressive
• has been buttering
  perfect progressive

Past

• buttered
  simple
• had buttered
  perfect
• was buttering
  progressive
• were buttering
  progressive
• had been buttering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will butter
  simple
• will have buttered
  perfect
• will be buttering
  progressive
• will have been buttering
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of butter

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

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Explanation

Butter is a creamy spread made from milk fat. Your favorite breakfast might be hot toast slathered with butter. The process of making butter involves churning cream until the fats coagulate and become creamy and pale yellow. Butter is sometimes salted, and usually formed into sticks for cooks to use in frying, baking, and spreading on corn on the cob and baked goods. To do this is to butter your bread. The Greek root word is boutyron, literally "cow cheese," from bous, "cow."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

butter butters buttered buttering

I add clotted cream, a little bit of Parmesan, a tiny bit of lemon—that’s my secret—and good olive oil with a little bit of butter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

I already adored miso butter, with its salty, savory depth.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

“Just like when peanut butter sales go up,” the chicken-finger heir nodded solemnly.

From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026

Mari Reynoso, Miguel's 26-year-old daughter, acknowledged that "industrialization" threatened her town's bread and butter.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

There were all different sorts—chocolate with chocolate frosting, chocolate with vanilla frosting, red velvet, Oreo flavor, peanut butter, sprinkles, caramel.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

In the center is the crème de la crème: Maison Bordier, the small artisanal house in Brittany whose butters sell out the fastest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

I love salty, earthy, nutty and bittersweet toppings, like nut butters, funky cheeses and dark chocolate.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Influencers fill aisles in search of trendy nut butters and overpriced salads.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026

Serve these rolls alongside your favorite salted or flavored butters.

From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2025

Mrs. Shainmark takes a scone and passes the plate to Mama, then butters her pastry with the thick cream.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Zoo officials made the announcement in a recent Instagram post that included a video of the little mammals known for their distinct scent of buttered popcorn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

Often smeared on hot buttered toast, it tastes like a fishy, peppery paté, befitting the mock Latin name Osborn gave to it, Patum Peperium.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

Top them on warm, buttered toast for a hearty breakfast or on pizza for a kick of umami.

From Salon ● May 1, 2026

In other words, the urge to order a plate of buttered noodles or a perfectly crisp chicken nugget isn’t childish.

From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026

Even Mama, who once refused to receive him, now buttered him up whenever he was over.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

Meanwhile, the buttering up risks making Mr. Trump look like a chump if the Chinese don’t give him something in return.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Besides, Colby has long displayed a knack for buttering up his superiors.

From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2025

Maybe standing up for Wilson will earn Sutton a few more targets, and if that’s the case, perhaps rookie Marvin Mims Jr. should try buttering him up, too.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 17, 2023

They don’t have to stop buttering their bread, just pay a little more for it.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2023

“I looked that rabbit over good, Marty, and you won’t find any buckshot in that thigh,” Dad says, buttering his bread.

From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

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