push-button

1 of 2

adjective

push-but·​ton ˈpu̇sh-ˌbə-tᵊn 

1

: operated or done by means of push buttons

a push-button phone

2

: using or dependent on complex and more or less self-operating mechanisms that are put in operation by a simple act comparable to pushing a button

push-button warfare

push button

2 of 2

noun

: a small button or knob that when pushed operates something especially by closing an electric circuit

Examples of push-button in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The trigger Action mug, meanwhile, was outfitted with a push-button, leak-proof lid. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024

The switch panel on the center console offers climate and drive settings and is anchored by a lever gear shifter; Bentley has not gone the way of push-button gears. —Scotty Reiss, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

Noun

The vehicles most prone to theft are the 2011 to 2021 Hyundais that have a key ignition rather than push button start. —Skye Seipp, Austin American-Statesman, 30 May 2024

Update the push button in the northwest quadrant of the intersection to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. —Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 12 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1874, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

push-button

1 of 2 adjective

1

: operated or done by means of push buttons

a push-button phone

2

: using or dependent on complicated automatic machines

push-button warfare

a push-button civilization

push button

2 of 2 noun

: a small button or knob that when pushed operates something especially by closing an electric circuit