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

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

The company in September plans to announce its third vehicle model, which Nguyen said is a departure from the company’s bread-and-butter SUV lineup. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 10 July 2026

Noun

Those areas are the bread and butter of the value Paramount is getting from WBD, including WBD’s big theatrical business and IP brands, while also controlling many of the most coveted cable channels in the entire cable ecosystem. — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 14 July 2026

However, her bread and butter is dark period dramas like Libertine (2004) and the TV adaptation of Jane Eyre (1997). — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 3 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