noun

butter

BUH-tuh

noun

A soft, pale-yellow fatty food made by churning cream, spread on bread or used in cooking.

"She spread a thick layer of butter on the warm toast."

"Melt the butter in a saucepan before adding the flour."

verb

To spread butter onto something.

"He buttered the toast and added jam."

How to Use Butter

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe dairy spread made from churned cream, or the verb for spreading it.

Common mistake

"Butter someone up" means to flatter them, not literally spread anything.

Common pairings

butter toast peanut butter butter someone up

buttered past tense, butters plural, butters plural, Butters plural, butters singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “butter” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

She spread a thick layer of _____ on the warm toast.

From Old English butere, ultimately from Greek boutyron, a compound of "ox/cow" and "cheese." The word entered English through Latin.

utter putter nutter mutter cutter gutter Sutter stutter clutter flutter shutter woodcutter