plural butts
1
: buttocks
slipped and fell on his butt
—often used as a euphemism for ass in idiomatic expressionsGet your butt over here.
kick butt
saved our butts
2
: the large or thicker end part of something:
a
: the thicker or handle end of a tool or weapon
the butt of a rifle
b
food
: a marbled upper cut of the pork shoulder
called also Boston butt
c
: the base of a plant from which the roots spring
3
a
: an unused remainder (as of a cigarette or cigar)
b
slang
: cigarette
4
: the part of a hide or skin corresponding to the animal's back and sides
butted; butting; butts
: to strike or shove with the head or horns
got butted by a goat
butting their horns together
: to thrust or push headfirst : strike with the head or horns
: a blow or thrust usually with the head or horns
a head butt to the ribs
butted; butting; butts
: abut
—used with on or against
where the floorboards butt against each other
The apartment building butts up against an old church.
1
: to place end to end or side to side without overlapping
butt the boards together
2
: to trim or square off (something, such as a log) at the end
3
: to reduce (something, such as a cigarette) to an unused remainder by stubbing or stamping : to reduce to a butt (see butt entry 1 sense 3a)
1
: a large cask especially for wine, beer, or water
2
: any of various units of liquid capacity
especially
: a measure equal to 108 imperial (see imperial entry 1 sense 4) gallons (491 liters)
Synonyms
Examples of butt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 26 Apr. 2024
Firm on one end, yielding on the other, its very parts — the shaft, throat, head, rim, butt — are named with a wink-wink.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Alfred made the mistake of looking up at one point, only to be struck on the head with the butt of a gun.
—Theresa McKinney, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024
The butt of the wooden handle was set with a luminous purple gem.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2024
Acts can become the butt of jokes, as screenshots showing large patches of empty seats or bottom-of-the-barrel ticket prices circulate on social media.
—Elias Leight, Billboard, 22 Apr. 2024
Experts suggest incorporating other types of movement into your pre-workout routine, such as jogging in place, performing butt kicks, lunges, and body weight squats.
—Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 5 Apr. 2024
Instead, the result is closer to frisky European art films by Bernardo Bertolucci, François Ozon and Abdellatif Kechiche, so focused is the movie on butts, baskets and various other body parts — less lecherous than sensual as presented here.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Between 2003 and 2013, the top three litter items collected were cigarette butts, food wrappers and drink caps and lids.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024
On Monday, the government of the Philippines lodged a protest with Chinese counterparts after a dangerous escalation in the South China Sea, where China’s maritime expansionism is butting against the parallel territorial claims of its weaker neighbors.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Facebook and Netflix appeared ready to butt heads in the streaming world, and the Netflix cofounder found himself in the middle as a Facebook board member.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
Her scenes with Buckley, in which the irresistible urge of Irish bonhomie butts up against the immovable object of passive-aggressive politeness and repression, are like watching musicians play off against each other’s weaving melodies and riffs.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2024
Musk and Bezos have publicly butted heads for over a decade, including over their years-long space race with their respective reusable rocket companies.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
But then Kelce and Van Noy started jawing back and forth and then, unbelievably, Van Noy head butted Kelce, drawing a penalty.
—Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024
At the same time, Bynes was butting heads with her parents.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024
Unsurprisingly, Vichy officials didn’t like that kind of talk, and the sultan butted heads with them repeatedly.
—Theo Zenou, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
Over the years, many people have been the butt of his jokes, including his 16-year-old son Hendrix and his 19-year-old daughter Heaven.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 26 Apr. 2024
Firm on one end, yielding on the other, its very parts — the shaft, throat, head, rim, butt — are named with a wink-wink.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Alfred made the mistake of looking up at one point, only to be struck on the head with the butt of a gun.
—Theresa McKinney, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024
The butt of the wooden handle was set with a luminous purple gem.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2024
Acts can become the butt of jokes, as screenshots showing large patches of empty seats or bottom-of-the-barrel ticket prices circulate on social media.
—Elias Leight, Billboard, 22 Apr. 2024
Experts suggest incorporating other types of movement into your pre-workout routine, such as jogging in place, performing butt kicks, lunges, and body weight squats.
—Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 5 Apr. 2024
Instead, the result is closer to frisky European art films by Bernardo Bertolucci, François Ozon and Abdellatif Kechiche, so focused is the movie on butts, baskets and various other body parts — less lecherous than sensual as presented here.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Between 2003 and 2013, the top three litter items collected were cigarette butts, food wrappers and drink caps and lids.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Verb
The couple have been butting heads because Mendeecees feels Yandy makes decisions without his input.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024
On Monday, the government of the Philippines lodged a protest with Chinese counterparts after a dangerous escalation in the South China Sea, where China’s maritime expansionism is butting against the parallel territorial claims of its weaker neighbors.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Facebook and Netflix appeared ready to butt heads in the streaming world, and the Netflix cofounder found himself in the middle as a Facebook board member.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
Her scenes with Buckley, in which the irresistible urge of Irish bonhomie butts up against the immovable object of passive-aggressive politeness and repression, are like watching musicians play off against each other’s weaving melodies and riffs.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2024
Musk and Bezos have publicly butted heads for over a decade, including over their years-long space race with their respective reusable rocket companies.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
But then Kelce and Van Noy started jawing back and forth and then, unbelievably, Van Noy head butted Kelce, drawing a penalty.
—Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024
At the same time, Bynes was butting heads with her parents.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024
Unsurprisingly, Vichy officials didn’t like that kind of talk, and the sultan butted heads with them repeatedly.
—Theo Zenou, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'butt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near butt
Cite this Entry
“Butt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butt. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
butt
1 of 4 verb
: to strike or thrust with the head or horns
butt
2 of 4 noun
: a blow or thrust with the head or horns
butt
3 of 4 noun
: a person who is treated badly or is made fun of
the butt of a joke
butt
4 of 4 noun1
: buttock sense 2a
—often used in idiomatic expressions
saved our butts
get your butt over here
2
: the thicker or bottom end of something
the butt of a rifle
3
: an unused remainder
a cigarette butt
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