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
: 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
Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
And because the return-to-office debate is still going strong, the office buildings and such that lots of local banks fund as their bread-and-butter are worth less.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024
The issue occupies a key nexus where the bread-and-butter concerns of workers meet the larger goals of social justice.
—Jim Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
Much of the address focused on bread-and-butter domestic issues like highways, health care, energy infrastructure and education.
—Anton Troianovski, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
NetApp’s bread-and-butter Hybrid Cloud business has been witnessing some headwinds of late due to weaker information technology spending and cost optimization by large businesses.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
The store plans to expand its hours, building off what has thus far been its bread-and-butter: speaking events, including one last week with local author Lauren Markham, who is promoting a new book.
—Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024
Like a lot of builders, Hayden has spent the past few years whittling back sizes on its bread-and-butter offering of one- and two-story homes between 1,400 and 2,500 square feet.
—Conor Dougherty, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024
Stephenson’s bread-and-butter is analyzing hotel occupancy data to get a sense as to whether the events put more heads in beds than what’s typically seen.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 10 Feb. 2024
Elaine Rewolinski, Journal Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2024
Ty is elite, but his bread and butter have always been hooks and features.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 21 Feb. 2024
In-person gambling remains the bread and butter of the industry.
—Wayne Parry, Fortune, 21 Feb. 2024
Alo Airbrush Winter Warm High-Waist Nocturne Leggings, $86 (originally $108)
Nordstrom Loungewear Deals
Luxurious clothing at affordable prices is Nordstrom’s bread and butter, and the Zella brand has some major discounts leading into the end of the winter season.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 19 Feb. 2024
Politicians will force you to choose—that’s their bread and butter.
—Elliot Ackerman, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2024
Emotional songwriting just happened to be Flores’ bread and butter.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
Dettmann said creating sound budgets is his bread and butter, along with explaining gritty budget details in a comprehensive way for others to digest.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024
Sampling has been your bread and butter from the start.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Last season, Snell relied less on the fastball-slider combination that had been his bread-and-butter, incorporating his changeup and curveball more, which had the effect of mimicking his pitch mix from his 2018 Cy Young season.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
And because the return-to-office debate is still going strong, the office buildings and such that lots of local banks fund as their bread-and-butter are worth less.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024
The issue occupies a key nexus where the bread-and-butter concerns of workers meet the larger goals of social justice.
—Jim Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
Much of the address focused on bread-and-butter domestic issues like highways, health care, energy infrastructure and education.
—Anton Troianovski, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
NetApp’s bread-and-butter Hybrid Cloud business has been witnessing some headwinds of late due to weaker information technology spending and cost optimization by large businesses.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
The store plans to expand its hours, building off what has thus far been its bread-and-butter: speaking events, including one last week with local author Lauren Markham, who is promoting a new book.
—Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024
Like a lot of builders, Hayden has spent the past few years whittling back sizes on its bread-and-butter offering of one- and two-story homes between 1,400 and 2,500 square feet.
—Conor Dougherty, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024
Stephenson’s bread-and-butter is analyzing hotel occupancy data to get a sense as to whether the events put more heads in beds than what’s typically seen.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 10 Feb. 2024
Noun
All entrees include soup or salad, Italian bread and butter, and dessert.
—Elaine Rewolinski, Journal Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2024
Ty is elite, but his bread and butter have always been hooks and features.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 21 Feb. 2024
In-person gambling remains the bread and butter of the industry.
—Wayne Parry, Fortune, 21 Feb. 2024
Alo Airbrush Winter Warm High-Waist Nocturne Leggings, $86 (originally $108)
Nordstrom Loungewear Deals
Luxurious clothing at affordable prices is Nordstrom’s bread and butter, and the Zella brand has some major discounts leading into the end of the winter season.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 19 Feb. 2024
Politicians will force you to choose—that’s their bread and butter.
—Elliot Ackerman, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2024
Emotional songwriting just happened to be Flores’ bread and butter.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
Dettmann said creating sound budgets is his bread and butter, along with explaining gritty budget details in a comprehensive way for others to digest.
—Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024
Sampling has been your bread and butter from the start.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bread-and-butter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bread-and-butter
Cite this Entry
“Bread-and-butter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bread-and-butter. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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