butter

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ˈbʌtə/, SAMPA: /"bVt.@/
• (US) enPR: bŭtʹər, IPA ^(key): /ˈbʌɾ.ɚ/, SAMPA: /"bV4.@`/

• Audio (UK)

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• Audio (US)

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Noun

Singular butter

Plural butters

A stick of butter

melting butter

1. (uncountable) Butter is a firm yellow substance that is made from milk spread on bread or used in cooking.

   Please pass the butter.

   Melt some butter in a fry pan, and then add the eggs.

   If you keep the butter in the fridge, it's too hard to put on bread.

2. (uncountable) A bread and butter issue, is a basic and important one.

   If we want to win this election, we need to focus on bread and butter issues like jobs.

3. (uncountable) Your bread and butter is the work that you do most and that earns you the most money.

   Fixing shoes used to be our bread and butter, but today, nobody gets their shoes fixed.

Verb

Plain form butter

Third-person singular butters

Past tense buttered

Past participle buttered

Present participle buttering

1. If you butter something, you put butter on it.

   Would you like me to butter your toast for you?

Related words

• butter up
• buttery