BUTTON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does button mean? 

• BUTTON (noun)
  The noun BUTTON has 7 senses:

1. a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes

2. an electrical switch operated by pressing

3. any of various plant parts that resemble buttons

4. a round flat badge displaying information and suitable for pinning onto a garment

5. a female sexual organ homologous to the penis

6. a device that when pressed will release part of a mechanism

7. any artifact that resembles a button

  Familiarity information: BUTTON used as a noun is common.

• BUTTON (verb)
  The verb BUTTON has 2 senses:

1. provide with buttons

2. fasten with buttons

  Familiarity information: BUTTON used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BUTTON (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("button" is a kind of...):

fastener; fastening; fixing; holdfast (restraint that attaches to something or holds something in place)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "button"):

coat button (a button on a coat)

shirt button (a button on a shirt)

Derivation:

button (fasten with buttons)

button (provide with buttons)

buttony (ornamented with many buttons)

buttony (small and round and shiny like a shiny bead or button)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An electrical switch operated by pressing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

button; push; push button

Context example:

the push beside the bed operated a buzzer at the desk

Hypernyms ("button" is a kind of...):

electric switch; electrical switch; switch (control consisting of a mechanical or electrical or electronic device for making or breaking or changing the connections in a circuit)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "button"):

bell push (a button that is pushed to ring a bell)

bell; buzzer; doorbell (a push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushed)

horn button (a button that you press to activate the horn of an automobile)

mouse button (a push button on the mouse)

panic button (a button to push in order to summon help in case of an emergency)

reset button (a push button that you press to activate the reset mechanism)

Holonyms ("button" is a part of...):

push-button radio (a radio receiver that can be tuned by pressing buttons)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Any of various plant parts that resemble buttons

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("button" is a kind of...):

plant part; plant structure (any part of a plant or fungus)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A round flat badge displaying information and suitable for pinning onto a garment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

they passed out campaign buttons for their candidate

Hypernyms ("button" is a kind of...):

badge (an emblem (a small piece of plastic or cloth or metal) that signifies your status (rank or membership or affiliation etc.))

Sense 5

Meaning:

A female sexual organ homologous to the penis

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

button; clit; clitoris

Hypernyms ("button" is a kind of...):

erectile organ (an organ containing erectile tissue)

Meronyms (parts of "button"):

glans clitoridis (small mass of erectile tissue at the end of the body of the clitoris)

foreskin; prepuce (a fold of skin covering the tip of the clitoris)

Holonyms ("button" is a part of...):

vulva (external parts of the female genitalia)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A device that when pressed will release part of a mechanism

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

button; release

Hypernyms ("button" is a kind of...):

device (an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Any artifact that resembles a button

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("button" is a kind of...):

artefact; artifact (a man-made object taken as a whole)

• BUTTON (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they button    ... he / she / it buttons   
Past simple: buttoned   
Past participle: buttoned   
-ing form: buttoning   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Provide with buttons

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

button a shirt

Hypernyms (to "button" is one way to...):

add (make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of)

"Button" entails doing...:

run up; sew; sew together; stitch (fasten by sewing; do needlework)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

button (a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Fasten with buttons

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

button the dress

Hypernyms (to "button" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Antonym:

unbutton (undo the buttons of)

Derivation:

button (a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes)

 Context examples 

I examined them with care, and there was no doubt that they were trouser buttons.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Now for Mr. Breckinridge,” he continued, buttoning up his coat as we came out into the frosty air.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This day is such a hot button day, the less you say, the better.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Now he had a good deal of gold in the house: so he said to Catherine, What pretty yellow buttons these are!

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

There was a bell beside the gate, and Dorothy pushed the button and heard a silvery tinkle sound within.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

“I wonder why you ever fell in love with me?” said Dora, beginning on another button of my coat.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I felt the mattress-like growth of beard on my neck, knew that the sleeve of my coat was ripped, that a button was missing from the throat of the blue shirt I wore.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A question about whether an individual has or had trouble buttoning buttons.

(Have Trouble Buttoning Buttons, NCI Thesaurus)

Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) Aids or devices that you usually use for any of these activities - Devices used for dressing (button hook, zipper pull, long-handled shoe horn, etc.).

(HAQ-DI - Aids or Devices - Used For Dressing, NCI Thesaurus)

When pain relief is needed, the person can receive a preset dose of pain medicine by pressing a button on a computerized pump that is connected to a small tube in the body.

(Intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia, NCI Dictionary)