Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense buttons, present participle buttoning, past tense, past participle buttoned
1. countable noun
Buttons are small hard objects sewn on to shirts, coats, or other pieces of clothing. You fasten the clothing by pushing the buttonsthrough holes called buttonholes.
...a coat with brass buttons.
Synonyms: fastening, catch, hook, clip More Synonyms of button
2. verb
If you button a shirt, coat, or other piece of clothing, you fasten it by pushing its buttons throughthe buttonholes.
Ferguson stood up and buttoned his coat. [VERB noun]
Button up means the same as button.
I buttoned up my coat; it was chilly. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
The young man slipped on the shirt and buttoned it up. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
It was freezing out there even in his buttoned-up overcoat. [VERB-ed PARTICLE]
3. countable noun
A button is a small object on a machine or electrical device that you press in order to operate it.
He reached for the remote control and pressed the 'play' button.
Synonyms: switch, control, key, handle More Synonyms of button
4. countable noun
A button is a small piece of metal or plastic which you wear in order to show that you supporta particular movement, organization, or person. You fasten a button to your clotheswith a pin.
[US]regional note: in BRIT, use badge
5.
See press/push the right button
Phrasal verbs:
See button up
button in British English
(ˈbʌtən)
noun
1.
a disc or knob of plastic, wood, etc, attached to a garment, etc, usually for fastening two surfaces together by passing it through a buttonhole or loop
2.
a small round object, such as any of various sweets, decorations, or badges
3.
a small disc that completes an electric circuit when pushed, as one that operates a doorbell or machine
4.
a symbolic representation of a button on the screen of a computer that is notionally depressed by manipulating the mouse to initiate an action
5. biology
any rounded knoblike part or organ, such as an unripe mushroom
6. fencing
the protective knob fixed to the point of a foil
7.
a small amount of metal, usually lead, with which gold or silver is fused, thus concentrating it during assaying
8.
the piece of a weld that pulls out during the destructive testing of spot welds
9. rowing
a projection around the loom of an oar that prevents it slipping through the rowlock
10. British
an object of no value (esp in the phrase not worth a button)
11. slang
intellect; mental capacity (in such phrases as a button short, to have all one's buttons, etc)
12. on the button
verb
13.
to fasten with a button or buttons
14. (transitive)
to provide with buttons
15. (transitive) fencing
to hit (an opponent) with the button of one's foil
16. button one's lip
Derived forms
buttoner (ˈbuttoner)
noun
buttonless (ˈbuttonless)
adjective
buttony (ˈbuttony)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Old French boton, from boter to thrust, butt, of Germanic origin; see butt3
button in American English
(ˈbʌtən)
noun
1.
any small disk, knob, etc. used as a fastening or ornament, as one put through a buttonhole on a garment
2.
anything small and shaped like a button
; specif.,
a.
a small emblem of membership, distinction, etc., generally worn in the lapel
b.
a small knoblike part, as a bud on a plant or the end of a rattlesnake's rattles
c.
a small knoblike part that is pushed or turned to operate a doorbell, electric lamp, etc.
d.
a guard on the tip of a fencing foil
e.
a small, immature mushroom
3. US, Slang
the point of the chin
verb transitive, verb intransitive
4.
to fasten with or as with a button or buttons
5.
to provide or be provided with a button or buttons
Idioms:
button up (one's lip)
on the button
Derived forms
buttoner (ˈbuttoner)
noun
Word origin
ME botoun < OFr boton, a button, bud < buter: see butt2
More idioms containing
button
right on the button
press the right button
on the button
a hot button
do something at the touch of a button
bright as a button
button your lip
COBUILD Collocations
button
click a button
delete button
nuclear button
off button
sew a button on
shirt button
undo a button
wrong button
Examples of 'button' in a sentence
button
We will learn to push the button in the right moment.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Add in a few ingredients and hit the button.
The Sun (2017)
His brown hair is flecked with grey and he has more shiny gold buttons than anyone else.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If there is a collapse of challengers, the government may yet push this nuclear button.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Let's hope she can push all the right buttons.
The Sun (2016)
A big red stop button sits on the dashboard.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There are many people who stay in their beds in the morning just that little bit extra and hit the snooze button one more time.
The Sun (2017)
It pushes the right buttons.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Users can place it down on a line of text and with a push of a button, the device takes an image.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
And who wants to buy a vehicle where you have to push a button to confirm you'd rather kill a pedestrian than die yourself?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
One woman likened it to the washing machine set in action with no control over the buttons.
Carpenter, Anne & Johnson, Geoffrey Why am I Afraid to Grieve (1994)
Turn your phone off and press all the right buttons in the bedroom.
The Sun (2008)
So the boost button should be hit off the runway.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Wear a classic white shirt buttoned up for a preppy look.
The Sun (2015)
They paid for this foreigner in a grey military coat with grey buttons.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Too many people get movement because they push their finger on the button too hard.
The Sun (2011)
Replace cheap plastic buttons with vintage ones or add a trim to an old skirt.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
That alone should make us pause before pushing the eject button.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Play along to classic tracks by pushing buttons on the device or shaking it.
The Sun (2011)
Now you can fasten the button and the zip will stay closed.
The Sun (2014)
Mine were unashamedly bright orange with huge brass fly buttons.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Close zips and fasten buttons to help clothes keep their shape.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
And then there is the launch control button.
The Sun (2006)
Other singers can hit all the right technical buttons yet still often leave emotions untouched.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If it is at all risky hit the delete button.
The Sun (2014)
The trend now is to wear your shirt buttoned up to the eyeballs.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
At the very least the car seemed to demand a white polo neck beneath a navy blazer with gold buttons.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Perhaps the only reason for the folded arms is to show off as many as possible of its forty oversized gold buttons.
Rodney Bolt HISTORY PLAY: The Lives and After-life of Christopher Marlowe (2004)
The popular post-match interactive forums are also available via the red button.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
button
British English: button /ˈbʌtn/ NOUN
Buttons are small hard objects sewn on to pieces of clothing, which you use to fasten the clothing.
...a coat with blue buttons.
American English: button
Arabic: زِرّ
Brazilian Portuguese: botão
Chinese: 纽扣
Croatian: dugme
Czech: knoflík
Danish: knap
Dutch: knoop op kleding
European Spanish: botón
Finnish: nappi
French: bouton vêtement
German: Knopf
Greek: κουμπί
Italian: bottone
Japanese: ボタン 服
Korean: 단추
Norwegian: knapp
Polish: guzik
European Portuguese: botão
Romanian: nasture
Russian: пуговица
Latin American Spanish: botón
Swedish: knapp på kläder
Thai: กระดุม
Turkish: düğme giysi, elektrik
Ukrainian: кнопка
Vietnamese: khuy
All related terms of 'button'
button up
to fasten (a garment) with a button or buttons
button-down
A button-down shirt or a shirt with a button-down collar has a button under each end of the collar which you can fasten.
button lift
a kind of ski lift for one person consisting of a moving cable to which is attached a pole with a circular plate at the bottom , which a skier places between his or her legs to be carried up the hill
button man
→ soldier (sense 2 ) soldier (sense 2b )
button rose
a small rose whose flowers form a round head
button tow
a kind of ski lift for one person consisting of a pole that has a circular plate at the bottom and is attached to a moving cable . The person places the pole between his or her legs so that the plate takes his or her weight
button tree
any of a genus ( Conocarpus ) of dicotyledonous West Indian trees with buttonlike fruit
cuff button
the button for a shirt cuff
fly button
a button on the fly of a pair of trousers
hot button
A hot button is a subject or problem that people have very strong feelings about.
off button
A button is a small object on a machine or electrical device that you press in order to operate it.
push button
A push-button machine or process is controlled by means of buttons or switches.
stop button
(on a DVD player, cassette recorder , etc) the off switch
belly button
Your belly button is the small round thing in the centre of your stomach .
button quail
any small quail-like terrestrial bird of the genus Turnix , such as T . sylvatica ( striped button quail ), occurring in tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World: family Turnicidae , order Gruiformes ( cranes , rails , etc)
collar button
the button used to fasten the collar down on a garment
delete button
A button is a small object on a machine or electrical device that you press in order to operate it.
panic button
a button or switch that operates any of various safety devices, for use in an emergency
pause button
a button on a video or music player which can be pressed to temporarily stop the playing of the recording
pearl button
a button (as for fastening a shirt , blouse , etc) made of pearl or mother-of-pearl
press button
a button on a phone dial which you press
record button
the button that you press on a device or remote control to begin recording sound, images, etc
redial button
a button on a telephone, allowing the user to dial a number again
reset button
a button on a computer that clears the computer's memory and causes it to reboot
shirt button
Buttons are small hard objects sewn on to shirts , coats, or other pieces of clothing. You fasten the clothing by pushing the buttons through holes called buttonholes .
snooze button
a button on an alarm clock that, if pressed when the alarm is going off, will suspend its ringing for a brief time before allowing it to go off again
tummy button
the scar in the centre of the abdomen , usually forming a slight depression , where the umbilical cord was attached
wrong button
Buttons are small hard objects sewn on to shirts , coats, or other pieces of clothing. You fasten the clothing by pushing the buttons through holes called buttonholes .
a hot button
a subject or problem that everyone is interested in or arguing over
button mushroom
Button mushrooms are small mushrooms used in cooking .
button-through
(of a dress or skirt ) fastened with buttons from top to hem
campaign button
a disk-shaped pin worn by a supporter of a political candidate , usually bearing the name of the candidate and often a slogan or the candidate's picture
destruct button
a button that, when pressed, causes a missile or rocket to destruct
nuclear button
A button is a small object on a machine or electrical device that you press in order to operate it.
bachelor's button
any of several plants of a genus ( Centaurea ) of the composite family, that have scaly , vase-shaped bracts below the white, pink , or blue flowers; esp., the cornflower and knapweed
button snakeroot
→ blazing star (sense 1 )
click a button
A button is a small object on a machine or electrical device that you press in order to operate it.
on the button
exactly
undo a button
Buttons are small hard objects sewn on to shirts, coats, or other pieces of clothing. You fasten the clothing by pushing the buttons through holes called buttonholes .
Welshman's button
an angler's name for a species of caddis fly , Sericostoma personatum
button one's lip
to stop talking : often imperative
button your lip
to keep silent about something although you would really like to speak
sew a button on
Buttons are small hard objects sewn on to shirts, coats, or other pieces of clothing. You fasten the clothing by pushing the buttons through holes called buttonholes .
bright as a button
intelligent , full of energy , or very cheerful
freeze-frame button
a control button on a remote control device, used to stop a moving image to view it as a still
button up (one's lip)
to refrain from talking ; esp., to keep a secret
hit the panic button
to react to a situation by demanding emergency action; become excited ; panic
push the panic button
to panic ; specif., to react to a crisis with some frantic , often disastrous action
right on the button
correct about something
buttonwood
a North American plane tree, Platanus occidentalis
Chinese translation of 'button'
button
(ˈbʌtn)
n(c)
(on clothes) 纽扣 (niǔkòu) (颗, kē)
(on machine) 按钮(鈕) (ànniǔ) (个(個), gè)
(US, = badge) 徽章 (huīzhāng) (个(個), gè)
英 = badge
on the button (inf) 准(準)确(確) (zhǔnquè)
vt
(also button up) 扣纽扣 (kòu niǔkòu)
All related terms of 'button'
belly button
肚脐(臍) dùqí
on the button
( inf ) 准(準)确(確) zhǔnquè
there's a button off
一颗(顆)扣(釦)子掉了 yī kē kòuzi diào le
at the push of a button
只要按一下按钮(鈕) zhǐyào àn yīxià ànniǔ
his shirt was missing a button
( inf ) 他的衬(襯)衫少了一粒纽(紐)扣(釦) tā de chènshān shǎole yī lì niǔkòu
1 (noun)
Definition
a disc or knob of plastic, wood, etc., attached to a garment, which fastens two surfaces together by passing through a buttonhole
a coat with brass buttons
Synonyms
fastening
His fingers found the fastening and opened it.
catch
Always fit windows with safety locks or catches.
hook
One of his jackets hung from a hook.
clip
clasp
She undid the clasp of the hooded cloak she was wearing.
fastener
hasp
press stud
2 (noun)
Definition
a small disc that operates a door bell or machine when pressed
He pressed the `play' button.
Synonyms
switch
a light switch
control
She adjusted the temperature control.
key
handle
The handle of a cricket bat protruded from under his arm.
lever
Robert leaned lightly on the lever and the rock groaned.
knob
the volume knob
Additional synonyms
in the sense of catch
Definition
a device such as a hook, for fastening a door, window, or box
Always fit windows with safety locks or catches.
Synonyms
fastener,
hook,
clip,
bolt,
latch,
clasp,
hasp,
hook and eye,
snib (Scottish),
sneck (dialect, Scottish, NorthernEngland)
in the sense of clasp
Definition
a fastening, such as a catch or hook, for holding things together
She undid the clasp of the hooded cloak she was wearing.