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

By popular demand, the capacitive switches on the Roma’s steering wheel have been replaced with tactile buttons and controllers—including, Ferrari says, the return of the iconic Start button.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 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

Life is demanding, and everyone wants something that presses on the “good feeling” buttons in our brains.

From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2026

There are Oompa-Loompas of various sizes, including Rusty Goffe, from the 1971 film, who perform Oompa-Loompa dances and sing Oompa-Loompa songs and are seen offstage pushing buttons and pulling levers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

I covered an old sign with a yard of rough linen and then used rickrack, buttons, old zippers, and fabric tape to spell out sale.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

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