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
"With the overtake mode, the driver behind can use the boost button up to I think 330km/h, where the guy in the front can only use it to 290km/h," Russell said.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 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
“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
His belly was large; it must have been a struggle to button up his shirt.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
