buttons

American

[buht-nz] / ˈbʌt nz /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

a bellboy or page in a hotel.

buttons British

/ ˈbʌtənz /

noun

informal (functioning as singular) 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

Etymology

Origin of buttons

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

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:

buttons

Along with Abrams, Dawn Greenberg, a 63-year-old Conley supporter, and several other women showed up at Saturday’s rally with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in Peekskill with T-shirts and buttons referencing Conley’s line.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026

But they panned its cramped front-facing screen, mediocre camera, clunky buttons and heavy weight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Ermanno Scervino, for his part, unveiled a "corsair" woman, in a wide red and beige jacket with gold buttons, worn over a mini-short.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

Her hands shook as she punched the buttons into the safe’s keypad, entering the wrong combination.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Etta, now pregnant, had an endless supply of things for me to fix, though sometimes I suspected she was ripping seams and popping buttons on purpose just to give my old hands something to do.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023