bread-and-butter

1 of 2

adjective

bread-and-but·​ter ˈbred-ən(d)-ˈbə-tər 

1

a

: being as basic as the earning of one's livelihood

bread-and-butter issues

b(1)

: reliable

our bread-and-butter repertoire

(2)

: dependable as a source of income

a company's bread-and-butter products

2

: sent or given as thanks for hospitality

a bread-and-butter letter

bread and butter

2 of 2

noun

: a means of sustenance or livelihood

Examples of bread-and-butter in a Sentence

Noun

Casual clothing has always been the company's bread and butter.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Intel is likely to see its bread-and-butter CPU sales pick up with a more compelling portfolio of products and recovery in demand. —Trefis Team, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024

In a pinch, Maryland turned to its bread-and-butter tactic: defense Villanova scored 40 points in the first half and 35 in the second. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 25 Nov. 2024

Noun

What’s more, every dollar spent on stunts like Paul-Tyson or even an NFL game is money that is not invested in shows or movies — the very bread and butter of Netflix. —Josef Adalian, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024

Osimhen was also required to play further away from the penalty area, with increases in mid-third touches (8.5 from 7.9) and drops in touches in the final third (15.4 from 18.8) and penalty area (6.9 from 8.1) per 90, which took him away from his bread and butter as a threat in the box. —Anantaajith Raghuraman, The Athletic, 31 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1770, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

bread-and-butter

adjective

ˌbred-ᵊn-ˈbət-ər

1

a

: concerned with or being as basic as earning a living

bread-and-butter economic issues

b

: dependable

bread-and-butter products that always sell

2

: sent or given as thanks for hospitality

a bread-and-butter note