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to butter

to butter

31 1.0
To put a soft yellow spread on bread or toast
  • verb
  • /ˈbʌtər/
: untar (con mantequilla)
  • I asked for buttered toast.

Examples

  • Floyd wiped a plate off on his pant leg, then he buttered the toast using a clean knife.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • And so like I said, I'm going to lightly butter this bread.

  • I buttered it for you.

  • On Wednesday I go shopping and have buttered scones for tea.

  • And Antoinette always brought a buttered roll or another especially nice treat for it.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • "Wait till you taste this," she tells my father, buttering a slice of rye bread.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • "How did you sleep?" Night inquired, buttering a slice of bread at the table with his index finger.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I will butter my toast before adding jelly on top.

  • He asked me to butter the bread evenly for the sandwiches.

  • To prepare the dish, first butter the surface of the baking pan.

Idioms

A way someone earns money to live

To give someone money or a job so they can live

Seems very innocent and quiet but is not really kind

1 7.5

Fails to make a strong point because it is dull and weak

To benefit from two people or groups at the same time by being dishonest

A funny phrase people say when they cannot believe something

A pointless attempt that is unlikely to work

9.9

Something someone says that is not true

Phrasal Verbs

to butter up
  • Informal
17 4.2

Say nice things to someone to get what you want

To make butter by shaking cream until it becomes solid

Compounds

196 1.0

A thick smooth or crunchy spread you make from ground roasted nuts for bread

bread and butter
  • Informal
24 3.0

The main way a person earns money

11 1.0

A small dull tool with a rounded blade for spreading butter

8 1.0

A small crisp cookie made with a lot of butter

5 3.1

A pale yellow fat from cocoa beans used to make chocolate and skin creams

4 2.1

A thick sweet spread from apples slowly cooked with sugar and spices until smooth

3 7.4

A container for making butter by stirring cream until butter forms

3 2.7

A smooth spread made from crushed nuts

2 2.8

An issue that affects people's money or daily living costs

2 3.4

A soft cream-like fat made from the nut of an African tree used on skin and in cooking

Butter mixed with garlic that you put on bread or use in cooking

A clear cooking fat made by melting butter and removing water and solid bits of milk

yak butter
  • Indian
2 7.4

A type of butter made from yak milk used in Tibetan and Himalayan cooking

1 1.2

A small dish with a lid for keeping and serving butter at the table

1 6.3

Melted butter with the solid parts of milk removed that is used as a sauce for seafood

A type of butter that chefs mix with chopped lobster or lobster flavor to spread on food

1 2.9

A sauce of browned butter with lemon juice and parsley for fish or vegetables

1 2.0

A plant that makes large flat beans people cook and eat

1 3.4

A thick cream used on the skin to make it soft and less dry

A spread made from peanuts with small pieces that add crunch

1 2.9

Melted butter cooked until it turns brown and tastes nutty

A spread made from butter and mashed anchovies

A sweet thin slice of cucumber kept in vinegar, sugar, and onion

Butter mixed with small pieces of shrimp and used as a spread or in cooking

bull butter
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Talk that is not true and that people do not believe

1 2.7

Soft butter mixed with small pieces of onion used to add flavor to food

meuniere butter
  • Specialized
1 8.8

Butter browned and flavored with lemon and parsley served over fish or vegetables

A yellow jelly fungus that grows on rotting wood and looks like lumps of butter

Bercy butter
  • Specialized
8.1

A flavored butter mixed with shallots, parsley and white wine to top grilled meat or fish

A bush that grows small flat beans you can eat, often served as a vegetable

butter-box
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who praises others to get their approval

A small wild flower with bright yellow shiny petals

9.5

An annual plant with grey-green leaves and bright yellow flowers that grows in dry sunny places

A plant from Europe with bright yellow and orange flowers often seen as a weed

Colbert butter
  • Specialized
9.9

A flavored butter made with parsley, tarragon, and beef extract served on meat

A soft spread of mashed red peppers mixed into butter

7.6

A cheap substitute for butter like margarine or peanut butter

Flavored butter with garlic, shallots, and parsley used to cook snails

9.9

Ordinary talk that is simple and not deep

How Thick

to slather
  • Informal
15 6.9
to butter
31 1.0
to spread
768 1.6
to smear
69 3.7
to dab
26 2.8

Surface Forms

butter infinitive
buttered past
buttered past participle
buttering present participle
butters third person singular

Etymology

Butter as a verb comes from the noun butter, which originally came from Greek parts bout- 'cow' and tyron 'cheese'. So to butter something simply means to spread that creamy milk fat on food.