buttress
noun
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.
buttresses
-
pluralof buttress.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
-
present tense formof buttress (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
buttressnounany 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.
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.
The RF’s is a “buttress” roof form, connoting the “flying” buttresses of Gothic architecture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
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
The lean was about 15 degrees and the building would have collapsed on its own, had it not been shored up with buttresses, the Lower Gornal local history group said.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2024
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
During the summer of 1270 the chapels in the apse and most of the piers and buttresses of the choir were finished.
From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay
