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.
Dressed in a crisp white button up shirt and khaki pants, Doncic sat next to Reaves on the bench.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2026
“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
The attorney general said the companies needed to "button up their cybersecurity measures" to protect customers.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2022
“If brands don’t want to be a victim of these platforms, then they have to button up their distribution and reduce wholesale volumes to protect their image,” Solca said.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2021
When the coat puffed up, she’d quickly button up the spirit inside and hurry it home to the child’s body in bed.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
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.
