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

Stefanski, in his first year as an NFL head coach, and Callahan, a veteran offensive line coach, ultimately leaned on their bread-and-butter of a wide-zone system. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Maybe a bread-and-butter or spicy pickle would yield different results. — Elliott Harrell, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Noun

But the venue’s bread and butter are smaller local acts that are actively building a following. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026

His bread and butter is a river cruise for guests that runs from March to November. — Melissa May, CBS News, 9 Sep. 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