Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: boton, from boter; BUTT2

button

1 noun
     
NEW! See related topics: DAILY LIFECLOTHES AND FASHIONTECHNOLOGYCOMPUTERS
but‧ton1 S2 [countable]
1DC a small round flat object on your shirt, coat etc which you pass through a hole to fasten it:
small pearl buttons
A button was missing from his shirt.
She undid (=unfastened) the buttons of her blouse.
do up a button British English (=fasten a button)
2TD a small part or area of a machine that you press to make it do something:
Press the pause button.
Click on the icon with the right mouse button.
3TD a small area on a computer screen, especially on a website, that you click on in order to perform an action
4 American EnglishDC a small metal or plastic pin with a message or picture on it [= badge British English]
presidential campaign buttons
5

button nose/eyes

HBH a nose or eyes that are small and round
6

on the button

especially American English informal exactly right, or at exactly the right time:
She got to our house at two, on the button.
7

press/push (all) the right buttons

to get what you want by behaving in a clever way:
She seemed to push all the right buttons.
8

press/push somebody's buttons

to make someone angry by doing or saying something that annoys them:
He really knows how to push Dad's buttons.
9

at/with the push/touch of a button

used to emphasize how easy a machine is to use because it is controlled by pushing a button:
The instrument can gauge a distance with the push of a button.

➔ as bright as a button

at bright (7)
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
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