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to button

to button

84 1.0
To close clothing by pushing small round things through holes
  • verb
  • /ˈbʌtən/
translation icon : abotonar
  • Tasks include classic ADLs, such as brushing teeth, buttoning a shirt/blouse, and eating with a fork or spoon.
  • button a shirt

A button up is a shirt that you button in the front.

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Examples

  • Maybe you button up your sweater.

  • Just keep it buttoned and no one will notice.

  • I can pull them up and button them, but for what?

  • And then I button in one wall at a time.

  • Why haven't you ever learned how to button a coat?

  • Button up your overcoat in the wintry breeze

  • A stereo blares Chicago blues as Brian buttons up his uniform in the mirror.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Maggie was just buttoning her blouse, the baby held over the crook of her arm.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • His overcoat was buttoned.

  • You should button your shirt before going to the interview.

Synonyms

to zip
vsto button
55 1.0

To close something by moving a sliding tab that joins two rows of teeth

uses separate sewn fasteners instead of a continuous sliding closure
to strap
vsto button
52 2.9

To fasten something with a band so it stays in place

attaches with repeated small sewn fasteners rather than with a band
to zipper
vsto button
  • US
4 2.3

To close clothes or bags by moving a sliding piece along two rows of teeth

fastens by many individual sewn fasteners not by interlocking rows
to clasp
vsto button
3 3.0

To fasten something with a small hook or buckle

uses small sewn fasteners repeated along the garment edge
to toggle
vsto button
  • Specialized
1 6.9

To fasten something with a small rod pushed through a loop

uses small sewn fasteners rather than a single rod or pin

Antonyms

22 1.0

Undo the buttons on a piece of clothing

Idioms

1 9.9

To not care at all

Exactly at the right time or moment

7.2

To keep quiet on purpose and not tell others

Exactly correct in time or amount

Phrasal Verbs

to button up
  • Informal
3 7.1

To stop talking suddenly and not answer questions

To attach a button to clothing using a needle and thread

Compounds

24 1.0

A small round mark on the stomach where the baby was attached before birth

An issue that makes people feel very strongly and leads to angry debate

12 2.8

A button you press to call for help in an emergency

9 3.1

A shirt or collar with the ends fastened by buttons

6 2.9

A small button on a device that returns it to its original settings when you press it

A shirt with collar points that fasten down with buttons

2 2.1

A button on a computer mouse you press to select or open items on the screen

2 1.0

A small round piece sewn to a shirt to hold the front closed

1 1.9

A small switch you press with a finger to control a machine like a coffee maker or elevator

1 3.0

It works when you press a button

button pusher
  • Offensive
1 5.5

A person who does simple repeated tasks with little skill

A radio you change stations on by pressing preset buttons instead of turning a dial

1 4.1

Designers make it very simple so anyone can use it

A small part in the middle of the stomach that sticks out

beg button
  • Informal
9.1

An action that asks people for help or sympathy

button-quail
  • Indian
9.9

A small ground bird like a quail that has no hind toe

A musical instrument with a folding part that you push and pull while pressing buttons to play notes

button ad
  • Texting
3.4

A small ad that appears at the bottom of a web page

button fern
  • New Zealand
6.2

A small fern with round leaves that people often grow indoors

An evergreen tree or shrub with small round fruit like buttons and hard wood

A garden plant that grows every year with many small round pink flowers

button quail
  • Indian
9.5

A small ground bird like a quail that lives on grassy plains and has no hind toe

A coarse prickly plant from the United States that lives for many years and has round flower heads

button snakeroot
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American wildflower with small round flower heads on tall spikes

button tree
  • Specialized
9.9

An evergreen tree or bush with small round fruit and very hard wood

A dress with a collar and buttons down the front

A shirt whose collar has buttons that keep it in place

A small round piece that fastens a coat

A tropical plant with bright rose, red, or purple flowers that keep their color when dried

A plant from Europe and Asia that grows each year with bright blue, purple, pink, or white flowers

love button
  • Texting
4.5

A heart icon you tap to show you like or support a post

A button on a toy or device that makes a cat sound when pressed

9.9

A small round part of the peyote cactus that people eat to cause visions

A button in a vehicle you press to make a loud noise to warn others

8.2

A small fern with round buttonlike growths on its leaves that grows in warm, humid places

A small switch that you press with a finger

plug button
  • Specialized
5.0

A small cover that hides screw holes in furniture

9.1

A small ground bird with stripes on its back

A plant that grows in bogs and has spikes of yellow-orange flowers

How Secure

to tie
923 1.0
to buckle
88 1.6
to zip
55 1.0
to fasten
68 1.6
to button
84 1.0

Surface Forms

button infinitive
buttoned past
buttoned past participle
buttoning present participle
buttons third person singular

Etymology

Button as a verb comes from the same idea: from Old French bouton meaning a 'bud' or little 'knob', because to button is to fasten clothes with those small round pieces.