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

Tesla’s pivot into driverless vehicles and artificial intelligence comes as the company grapples with slumping profit margins on its bread-and-butter electric vehicles. —Derek Saul, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024

Levying upon bank accounts is perhaps the most bread-and-butter aspect of judgment enforcement, not to mention very likely the most common. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

Noun

The market for traditional PC chips, or CPUs, has traditionally been Intel’s bread and butter business. —Greg McKenna, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2024

Preparation And Flexibility While spontaneity can be powerful, preparation is your bread and butter. —Shanita Akintonde, Forbes, 10 Sep. 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