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Glite Dictionary
to push someone's buttons

to push someone's buttons

1 7.1
To do or say something on purpose to annoy someone
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : sacar de quicio
  • My little brother knows exactly how to push my buttons when he wants to annoy me.
  • pushing someone's buttons to get

Examples

Synonyms

to drive (someone) crazy
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
271 3.9

Make someone very annoyed or upset

is about deliberately provoking anger or annoyance rather than accidental distress
to annoy
vsto push someone's buttons
246 1.0

Make someone slightly angry or bothered by small repeated actions

focuses on deliberate attempts to make someone angry or upset, not slight irritation
to tease
vsto push someone's buttons
245 1.9

To make fun of someone in a way that annoys them

is about deliberate acts meant to make someone annoyed or angry, not playful teasing
to pick
vsto push someone's buttons
165 4.8

To start a fight or argument by annoying someone

tries to annoy or anger but usually to cause conflict rather than simple irritation
to drive someone crazy
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
158 3.2

Make someone very annoyed or upset

involves deliberate acts meant to anger or annoy rather than general irritation
to provoke
vsto push someone's buttons
144 3.6

Annoy someone again and again to make them react

often refers to a single deliberate act that makes someone annoyed or angry
to taunt
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Offensive
93 5.8

To mock someone again and again to make them angry or upset

seeks to annoy or anger but not necessarily through insults
to give someone a hard time
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
90 3.9

Make someone feel bad by criticizing or teasing them

aims to cause annoyance or anger directly rather than ongoing difficulty
to irritate
vsto push someone's buttons
78 2.9

Make someone feel annoyed or impatient, often by repeated small actions

is about deliberate actions to provoke clear annoyance or anger rather than mild irritation
to rile
vsto push someone's buttons
63 6.9

Make someone annoyed, often by small things

implies intentional acts aimed at annoying or angering, not minor irritation
to stir up
vsto push someone's buttons
48 4.8

To make people feel strong emotions like anger or fear

focuses specifically on creating annoyance or anger rather than broad strong feelings
to pester
vsto push someone's buttons
34 3.2

To annoy someone by asking for things again and again

involves deliberate actions to make someone annoyed or angry rather than mere bothering
to antagonize
vsto push someone's buttons
  • US
31 7.6

To make someone angry or unfriendly

focuses on causing anger or annoyance without necessarily making them hostile
to get under one's skin
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
25 7.2

To annoy someone again and again so they feel bothered

focuses on deliberate attempts to cause annoyance or anger not mere bother
to goad
vsto push someone's buttons
14 6.9

To urge someone to act by annoying or teasing them

aims to make someone annoyed or angry rather than push them to act
to get a rise out of
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
8 6.8

Make someone angry or annoyed on purpose by teasing them

focuses on causing annoyance or anger rather than any broader reaction
to get on someone's nerves
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
7 4.9

To bother someone again and again until they feel angry

involves deliberate acts aiming to anger or upset rather than simple annoyance
to bust my chops
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
7 9.3

To tease or criticize someone in a friendly way

means intentionally trying to annoy or anger someone rather than joking alone
to get under someone's skin
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
4 7.4

To annoy someone a lot by small things another person does

is deliberate action to provoke anger rather than long persistent irritation
to raise hackles
vsto push someone's buttons
1 7.9

To make someone angry or upset

is about deliberate behavior aimed simply at making someone annoyed or angry
to give someone the shits
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To make someone very annoyed or angry

is about deliberate acts aiming to provoke anger rather than general strong annoyance
to rattle the cage
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
1 7.8

To do or say something on purpose to upset someone and see their reaction

aims specifically to make someone annoyed or angry rather than test them
to yank someone's chain
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
1 8.7

Tease someone to make them react

is more about deliberately making someone annoyed or angry, not playful teasing
to get someone's back up
vsto push someone's buttons
  • UK
1 7.9

To annoy someone or make them feel defensive

is about deliberate actions meant to annoy or anger rather than accidental upset
to do someone's head in
vsto push someone's buttons
  • UK
1 9.8

To make someone feel very annoyed or upset

aims more narrowly to cause annoyance or anger rather than confusion
to bust someone's chops
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
1 9.0

To tease or nag someone, often in a playful way

focuses on deliberate provocation to annoy or anger rather than playful teasing
to put someone's back up
vsto push someone's buttons
  • UK
7.7

To make someone angry or ready to argue

usually used for deliberate acts that aim to annoy or anger someone
to put up someone's back
vsto push someone's buttons
  • UK
8.9

To annoy someone so they become defensive

is the intentional act of doing or saying things to annoy or anger
to get someone's goat
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Informal
8.4

To annoy someone or make them angry

involves deliberate acts meant to make someone annoyed or angry
to get on someone's wick
vsto push someone's buttons
  • UK
9.9

To annoy someone by doing the same small things again and again

is the deliberate attempt to make someone angry or upset rather than casual irritation
to break someone's chops
vsto push someone's buttons
  • Archaic
8.7

To tease or nag someone in a way that annoys them

is about intentional acts intended to anger someone rather than light teasing

Antonyms

to calm down
  • Informal
594 1.4

To become less angry, excited, or upset

to please
216 1.0

To make someone happy or satisfied

How Annoying

to enrage
68 3.7
to push someone's buttons
  • Informal
1 7.1
to irritate
78 2.9
to annoy
246 1.0
to bother
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

push someone's buttons infinitive
pushed someone's buttons past
pushed someone's buttons past participle
pushing someone's buttons present participle
pushes someone's buttons third person singular

Morphology

push + someone's + button

The phrase uses a clear physical metaphor: pressing a button causes an immediate, predictable reaction, so a learner who knows 'push' and 'button' can infer that it means to trigger a reaction in someone. However, the specific sense of deliberately provoking annoyance or anger is a conventionalized, interpersonal metaphor not fully deducible from the parts alone, so it requires some exposure to the idiomatic use.

Etymology

The idiom push someone's buttons may come from old toys or machines with real buttons: when you push a button the toy reacts, so doing this to a person means making them react. That's why the phrase now means 'to make someone angry or upset on purpose'.