buttress
Americannoun
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buttresses
plural
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any external prop or support built to steady a structure by opposing its outward thrusts, especially a projecting support built into or against the outside of a masonry wall.
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any prop or support.
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a thing shaped like a buttress, as a tree trunk with a widening base.
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a bony or horny protuberance, especially on a horse's hoof.
noun
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Also called: pier. a construction, usually of brick or stone, built to support a wall See also flying buttress
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any support or prop
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something shaped like a buttress, such as a projection from a mountainside
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either of the two pointed rear parts of a horse's hoof
verb
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to support (a wall) with a buttress
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to support or sustain
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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buttresssimple
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buttressessimple
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have buttressedperfect
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has buttressedperfect
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am buttressingprogressive
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are buttressingprogressive
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is buttressingprogressive
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have been buttressingperfect progressive
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has been buttressingperfect progressive
Past
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buttressedsimple
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had buttressedperfect
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was buttressingprogressive
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were buttressingprogressive
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had been buttressingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of buttress
1350–1400; Middle English butres ≪ Old French ( arc ) boterez thrusting (arch) nominative singular of boteret (accusative), equivalent to boter- abutment (perhaps < Germanic; see butt 3) + -et -et
Explanation
You can buttress an argument with solid facts or your financial portfolio with safe investments. You may find that giving compliments to everyone you meet buttresses your popularity. To buttress is to sustain or reinforce. A buttress is a structure that adds stability to a wall or building, and this innovation played a significant role in the evolution of architecture. Think of a medieval cathedral. It's an incredibly tall, open building filled with light from vast windows. Without buttresses supporting the walls and carrying the weight of the ceiling away from the building and down to the ground, this cathedral would be impossible. Picture this when you use buttress figuratively as a verb meaning to strengthen and support.
Vocabulary lists containing buttress
The Tragedy of Macbeth
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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Built To Last: Architectural Parlance
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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.
See Examples For:
A closely watched indicator of Chinese manufacturing unexpectedly signaled a contraction as extreme weather took a toll on factory activity, increasing pressure on Beijing to roll out additional policy support to buttress growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
It’s just the latest sign that the launch of a whole ecosystem of ETFs has done little to buttress bitcoin against the whims of mercurial investors.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Millions will be spent to regild the hulking Art Deco statues that buttress Arlington Memorial Bridge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
How to buttress the yen is another matter.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
She landed on a curving ivory buttress and rode it like a skateboarder grinding a railing.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
That the flying buttresses, with no vault restraining them, did not push the walls in was miraculous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
The manuscript reveals a gothic, green castle, with decadent arches, spires and buttresses — the very castle on the stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2025
That buttresses what Cohen will say: There’s no way that Trump signed a series of $35,000 checks to Cohen without knowing and intending them to be reimbursement for Cohen’s payment to Daniels.
From Slate ● May 8, 2024
This technical excellence buttresses a very good if very unthreatening production of a groundbreaking play.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 15, 2024
They acted as temporary flying buttresses until the stone arch was complete.
From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay
Its supply is believed to have been buttressed over the last year by advanced Akinci combat models.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
Strong performances from major franchises including an "Avatar" tie-in game and juggernaut "Assassin's Creed" buttressed struggling French games giant Ubisoft's third-quarter results, the company said Thursday.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
Nor did the regime implement any major domestic political and economic reforms that could have buttressed its popular support.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
As investors enter the home stretch of 2025, the mindset is still skewed toward risk-on, buttressed by three unofficial “puts” that they believe establish a floor for risk-asset prices.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2025
Instead, I propped my elbow on the reading table and buttressed my fingertips against my forehead to obscure my face.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
That discovery leads Mr. Lemann to ponder his family’s entanglement with slavery and its role in buttressing the Lemann fortune.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
Without an endowment, there’s no steady stream of cash buttressing the ups and downs.
From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2024
Disney shares have gained more than 30% this year, buttressing the company’s argument that Iger is getting things on the right track.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2024
Xi said China was open to buttressing cooperation within the U.N. and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation framework and safeguard the interests of developing countries.
From Reuters ● Oct. 20, 2023
Comte lived for some time content in this philosophy, constantly strengthening it and buttressing it against attack; for we believe a thing first and skirmish for our proof afterward.
From Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 02 Little Journeys To the Homes of Famous Women by Elbert Hubbard
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.
