bread-and-butter

1 of 2

adjective

bread-and-but·​ter ˈbred-ən(d)-ˈbə-tər 

1

a

: being as basic as the earning of one's livelihood

bread-and-butter issues

b(1)

: reliable

our bread-and-butter repertoire

(2)

: dependable as a source of income

a company's bread-and-butter products

2

: sent or given as thanks for hospitality

a bread-and-butter letter

bread and butter

2 of 2

noun

: a means of sustenance or livelihood

Examples of bread-and-butter in a Sentence

Noun

Casual clothing has always been the company's bread and butter.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Lesnar returned to his bread-and-butter, delivering a fourth and a fifth German suplex. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Its bread-and-butter consumer banking division, which relies heavily on interest income, accounted for roughly 46% of overall revenue last quarter. — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 13 July 2026

Noun

While hardware is still its bread and butter, the company is investing significant amounts of resources and cash into growing a wider healthcare ecosystem. — Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

While Yamal did get fully fit and Williams began making impactful substitute appearances, the real revolution was in Spain’s bread and butter. — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1770, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bread-and-butter

• kilometre
• butter
• clutter
• cutter
• flutter
• gutter
• mutter
• nutter
• putter
• rutter
• shutter
• sputter

Kids Definition

bread-and-butter

adjective

ˌbred-ᵊn-ˈbət-ər

1

a

: concerned with or being as basic as earning a living

bread-and-butter economic issues

b

: dependable

bread-and-butter products that always sell

2

: sent or given as thanks for hospitality

a bread-and-butter note