butt

1 of 6

noun (1)

plural butts
1
: buttocks
slipped and fell on his butt
often used as a euphemism for ass in idiomatic expressions
Get your butt over here.
kick butt
saved our butts
2
: the large or thicker end part of something:
a
: the thicker or handle end of a tool or weapon
the butt of a rifle
b
food : a marbled upper cut of the pork shoulder

called also Boston butt

c
: the base of a plant from which the roots spring
3
a
: an unused remainder (as of a cigarette or cigar)
b
slang : cigarette
4
: the part of a hide or skin corresponding to the animal's back and sides

butt

2 of 6

noun (2)

1
: an object of abuse or ridicule : victim
the butt of all their jokes
2
a
: target
b
butts plural : range sense 5c
shooting butts
c
: a blind for shooting birds
d
: a backstop (such as a mound or bank) for catching missiles shot at a target
3
a
archaic : goal
here is my journey's end, here is my buttWilliam Shakespeare
b
obsolete : limit, bound

butt

3 of 6

verb (1)

butted; butting; butts

transitive verb

: to strike or shove with the head or horns
got butted by a goat
butting their horns together

intransitive verb

: to thrust or push headfirst : strike with the head or horns

butt

4 of 6

noun (3)

: a blow or thrust usually with the head or horns
a head butt to the ribs

butt

5 of 6

verb (2)

butted; butting; butts

intransitive verb

: abut
used with on or against
where the floorboards butt against each other
The apartment building butts up against an old church.

transitive verb

1
: to place end to end or side to side without overlapping
butt the boards together
2
: to trim or square off (something, such as a log) at the end
3
: to reduce (something, such as a cigarette) to an unused remainder by stubbing or stamping : to reduce to a butt (see butt entry 1 sense 3a)

butt

6 of 6

noun (4)

1
: a large cask especially for wine, beer, or water
2
: any of various units of liquid capacity
especially : a measure equal to 108 imperial (see imperial entry 1 sense 4) gallons (491 liters)
Phrases
butt heads
: to come into conflict

Examples of butt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Underneath are built-in bikini bottoms with full butt coverage. Kristine Solomon, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2024 Her abdominal surgery is really a BBL (Brazilian butt lift). Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024 The splendid sandwiches at Henry’s are made from pork butts cooked for 12 hours over hickory coals then chopped fine and piled on a soft bun. Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 In other words: these vertebrate worms feed their offspring with milk from their butts. Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024 Brazilian butt lifts evolved from a derriere-lift surgery pioneered in the mid-1960s. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 6 Mar. 2024 To another, it’s ripped stockings, bare butts and bikini bottoms. Leah Dolan, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 The bodysuit has hook and eye closures on the crotch, lace detailing on the butt for a smooth, no-show look under clothing, and adjustable straps to improve the fit. Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 After more than three decades of maturation, a few 1991 vintage single malts were selected and put into an Oloroso sherry butt to finish. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
At the same time, Bynes was butting heads with her parents. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 Unsurprisingly, Vichy officials didn’t like that kind of talk, and the sultan butted heads with them repeatedly. Theo Zenou, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024 Elsewhere, in December 2022, Navarro and Griffin butted heads over a segment about toxicity in the workplace. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 1 Mar. 2024 Coroner hopes cops can see victims as someone's child or parent In Manitowoc, Green has sometimes butted heads with law enforcement over how to treat families, especially after suicides. Journal Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2024 Facebook Show more sharing options The city of San Diego and SeaWorld, which are butting heads over a legal claim that the theme park owes more than $12 million in back rent and fees, failed to settle the dispute in federal court this week. Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2024 This beautiful coming of age story focuses on 13-year-old Mei Lee (Chiang) going through all the normal turmoil of puberty—butting heads with her mom (Oh), emotional roller coasters, drama with friends . . . Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 5 Feb. 2024 The lead prosecutor and defense lawyer got into a heated argument over the mom's meltdown, and butted heads the rest of the day. Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. 2024 At a recent game earlier this season, a rival executive when asked what was happening with the Bucks bumped his fists together and said players and coach were butting heads. Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'butt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English; probably akin to Middle English buttok buttock, Low German butt blunt

Noun (2)

Middle English, partly from Middle French but target, of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse būtr log, Low German butt blunt; partly from Middle French bute goal, target, mound, from but target

Verb (1) and Noun (3)

Middle English, from Anglo-French buter, boter, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German bōzan to beat — more at beat

Verb (2)

partly from butt entry 1, partly from butt entry 2

Noun (4)

Middle English, from Anglo-French but, bout, from Old Occitan bota, from Late Latin buttis

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2d

Verb (1)

1579, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (3)

1642, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1634, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (4)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of butt was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near butt

Cite this Entry

“Butt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butt. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

butt

1 of 4 verb
: to strike or thrust with the head or horns

butt

2 of 4 noun
: a blow or thrust with the head or horns

butt

3 of 4 noun
: a person who is treated badly or is made fun of
the butt of a joke

butt

4 of 4 noun
1
: buttock sense 2a
often used in idiomatic expressions
saved our butts
get your butt over here
2
: the thicker or bottom end of something
the butt of a rifle
3
: an unused remainder
a cigarette butt
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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