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

There are dinner plates, salad plates, bread-and-butter plates, soup bowls, fruit saucers, cups and saucers, and serving pieces. —Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2025

Microsoft is removing the ability to make domestic or international phone calls after May 5, though—something that was once Skype's bread-and-butter functionality but now something better solved by other tools. —Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2025

Noun

High-intensity sprints are a wing-back’s bread and butter, and the requirements list for the role quickly builds from there. —Carl Anka, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025

The biopic is precisely the kind of mid-budget fare that was once Hollywood’s bread and butter, but is now just as rare as the DiCaprio school of celebrity. —Alison Herman, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1770, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bread-and-butter

• kilometre
• butter
• clutter
• cutter
• flutter
• gutter
• mutter
• nutter
• putter
• rutter
• shutter
• sputter

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