button up
Britishverb
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to fasten (a garment) with a button or buttons
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informal to conclude (business) satisfactorily
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slang taciturn; silent and somewhat tense
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Close securely, fasten, as in The house was all buttoned up , or Button up your coat—it's very cold . [Late 1500s]
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Also, button one's lip . Hold one's tongue, keep quiet. For example, Please button your lip about the surprise . A variant of this usage, button one's mouth , dates from the 17th century. [Mid-1800s]
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Finish successfully, as in I've got this report all buttoned up . [c. 1940]
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.
“It was never particularly clear what constitutional theory undergirded the oath of office charges. I suspect the DA’s office will button up their theory and go back to the grand jury.”
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2024
Grant started the class by teaching participants how to button up a shirt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2023
The attorney general said the companies needed to "button up their cybersecurity measures" to protect customers.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2022
Today I see the snow on the peaks and hear a call to button up the place while there’s still time: Drain the pump.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2021
I put my glass down and grab the remote, clicking the volume button up, up, up.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
