buttons

[ buht-nz ]

/ ˈbʌt nz /

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noun (used with a singular verb)Chiefly British.

a bellboy or page in a hotel.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of buttons

First recorded in 1840–50; so called from the many buttons of his uniform

Words nearby buttons

button mangrove, buttonmold, buttonmould, button one's lip, button quail, buttons, button snakeroot, button-through, button tow, button up, buttonwood

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use buttons in a sentence

Outside of those negatives, you get the ability to remap your buttons controller-side, meaning you can swap out button functions even if the settings on a game don’t allow it.
Best Nintendo Switch controllers for any gamer|Nicholas Ware|November 22, 2021|Popular-Science
The pieces are near-identical, excepting the signature buttons on the Chanel suit and a few small tailoring details.
The Big Business of Fashion Counterfeits|Lizzie Crocker|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She checks the buttons to make sure that they are all tightly fastened.
Acid Attacks on Women Spread Terror in Iran|IranWire|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I had just wiped the buttons down with some alcohol swipes,” the employee said.
Dallas: A Journal of the Plague City|Pete Freedman|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Just the other day, the employee watched another mother freak out after her daughter licked some of the buttons in an elevator.
Dallas: A Journal of the Plague City|Pete Freedman|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To easily switch between sounds, the organ is outfitted with dozens of preset buttons like the kind found in old radios.
How to Save Silent Movies: Inside New Jersey’s Cinema Paradiso|Rich Goldstein|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was in a soiled dressing gown of purple flannel, with several of the buttons off.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
By an Act passed in the 4th of William and Mary foreign buttons made of hair were forbidden to be imported.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Papier maché buttons came in with Henry Clay's patent in 1778.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Fancy silk buttons, with worked figured tops, were patented by Wm. Elliott, in 1837.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Metal buttons or pistons located on the toe piece of the pedal-board were introduced by the ingenious Casavant of Canada.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for buttons

buttons

/ (ˈbʌtənz) /

noun

(functioning as singular) British informal a page boy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

buttons

Origin of buttons

Words nearby buttons

Words related to buttons

How to use buttons in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for buttons