butter

American  

[buht-er] / ˈbʌt ər /

noun

1. the fatty portion of milk, separating as a soft whitish or yellowish solid when milk or cream is agitated or churned.

2. this substance, processed for cooking and table use.

3. any of various other soft spreads for bread.

   apple butter; peanut butter.

4. any of various substances of butterlike consistency, as various metallic chlorides, and certain vegetable oils solid at ordinary temperatures.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put butter on or in; spread or grease with butter.

2. to apply a liquefied bonding material to (a piece or area), as mortar to a course of bricks.

3. Metalworking. to cover (edges to be welded together) with a preliminary surface of the weld metal.

verb phrase

1. butter up to flatter someone in order to gain a favor.

   He suspected that they were buttering him up when everyone suddenly started being nice to him.

butter British  

/ ˈbʌtə /

noun

1. 1. an edible fatty whitish-yellow solid made from cream by churning, for cooking and table use

   2. ( as modifier )

      butter icing

2. any substance with a butter-like consistency, such as peanut butter or vegetable butter

3. to look innocent, although probably not so

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verb

1. to put butter on or in

2. to flatter

butter Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing butter

• bread and butter
• bread-and-butter letter
• know which side of bread is buttered

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Other Word Forms

• butterless
  adjective
• butterlike
  adjective
• unbuttered
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of butter

before 1000; Middle English; Old English butere < Latin būtȳrum < Greek boútȳron

Explanation

Butter is a creamy spread made from milk fat. Your favorite breakfast might be hot toast slathered with butter. The process of making butter involves churning cream until the fats coagulate and become creamy and pale yellow. Butter is sometimes salted, and usually formed into sticks for cooks to use in frying, baking, and spreading on corn on the cob and baked goods. To do this is to butter your bread. The Greek root word is boutyron, literally "cow cheese," from bous, "cow."

Example Sentences

The bread and butter of a direct lender like Ares Capital is lending to companies acquired by private-equity firms.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

Tanner is trying to divine what consumers want, while federal food policy shifts and a member of the Reese’s family sounds off about the company’s famed peanut butter candy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

Spoon it into a bowl, swirl in jam or honey, maybe a little peanut butter or melted chocolate, and a pinch of salt.

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026

Later, with the news of Hitler’s demise, she sinks into a depression, refusing food unless it’s white bread, butter and honey, all in scarce supply.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Nobody knew what they had down their backs, but Donald Cooper thought it was the big bugs, hungry and tired of peanut butter sandwiches.

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson

Related Words

• margarine
• oil
• shortening