bread and butter

noun

: a means of sustenance or livelihood

Examples of bread and butter in a Sentence

Casual clothing has always been the company's bread and butter.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The elimination-style spelling rounds are the bee's bread and butter. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 29 May 2026 There will also be changes to the bread and butter functionality like search, menus and shortcuts. Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026 As a girl raised on One Direction Wattpad fanfiction, this level of back-to-back cliché tropes is my bread and butter. Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 27 May 2026 Granted, the Emmys have made repetitiveness its bread and butter for decades now. Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for bread and butter

Word History

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bread and butter was in 1770

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Bread and butter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bread%20and%20butter. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

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

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