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

The car did not have door handles and the electronic buttons meant to open the doors failed to work, according to his lawyers from The Veen Firm.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Secular Israelis were prepared with a counter-protest, blowing whistles to drown out the chants and with some wearing pink lapel buttons showing a middle finger.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

They figure out how to disable alarms and alerts, or stick tape on digital dashboards to mimic old-school buttons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

It’s visiting elements that can penetrate your soul and stay with you and inspire you or push buttons or make you angry or make you happy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

I’m just finishing the last of the buttons marching up my front.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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