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

Spicy bread-and-butter pickle chips add just the right amount of kick. —Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 8 Apr. 2026

This party-ready potato salad is made for pickle-lovers with dill pickle relish, pickled okra, and bread-and-butter pickle chips. —Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026

Noun

Cozy Earth is a personal favorite of mine for bamboo sheets—the brand’s bread and butter. —Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 31 Mar. 2026

The power play has been the Falcons’ bread and butter all season, scoring at a remarkable 45% clip, and Niccum and Goodreau scored five-on-four goals to put the Falcons up 2-0 early in the second period. —John Shipley, Twin Cities, 28 Mar. 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