buttress

noun but·tress \ ˈbə-trəs \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Examples: buttress in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of buttress

1 architecture : a projecting structure of masonry or wood for supporting or giving stability to a wall or building

2 : something that resembles a buttress: such as

a : a projecting part of a mountain or hill

b biology : a horny protuberance on a horse's hoof at the heel — see hoof illustration

c botany : the broadened base of a tree trunk or a thickened vertical part of it

3 : something that supports or strengthens

a buttress of the cause of peace

—

buttressed

play \-trəst\ adjective

See buttress defined for English-language learners

See buttress defined for kids

buttress was our Word of the Day on 05/25/2008. Hear the podcast!

Examples of buttress in a Sentence

the mother had always been the buttress of our family in trying times
after the wall collapsed, the construction company agreed to rebuild it with a buttress

Recent Examples of buttress from the Web

During the day, the mounds' outer buttresses heat up faster than their central chimneys.

— National Geographic, "6 Amazing Structures Built by Surprising Creatures," 7 May 2018
At each corner of the mausoleum is a three-quarter column, also covered in the basket-weave pattern and slightly tilted inward to act as a buttress.

— judith h. dobrzynski, WSJ, "A Final Resting Place, Both Beguiling and Beautiful," 4 May 2018
Bridenstine has since acknowledged a human influence and has sounded support for NASA’s $1.9 billion in earth science research—a major buttress of climate science in the United States.

— paul voosen, Science | AAAS, "Bridenstine confirmed to serve as NASA administrator," 19 Apr. 2018
Under stabilization plans for areas liberated from the militants, the Americans have organized mine-clearing and infrastructure reconstruction operations, and served as a buttress to keep other forces from taking over cleared areas.

— loveday morris, Washington Post, "Saudi Arabia says it’s open to sending troops to Syria as U.S. draws down," 17 Apr. 2018
There are sturdy buttress roots below and pen-thin palms towering above the forest canopy.

— mark johanson, chicagotribune.com, "Paradise takes many forms on this Indonesian archipelago," 23 Mar. 2018
One buttress of civilian control is the public’s commitment to the constitutional order.

— german feierherd, Washington Post, "A significant minority of Americans say they could support a military takeover of the U.S. government," 16 Feb. 2018
Thus religious freedom is a crucial buttress to genuine social pluralism as well as a barrier to the totalitarian temptation that infects all forms of political modernity.

— george weigel, National Review, "The Catholic Journey to Religious Freedom," 20 Dec. 2017
Losing that buttress can be almost as important as losing a paycheck.

— jane m. von bergen, Philly.com, "These Philly-area folks lost their jobs in the recession - here's what they've learned," 15 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'buttress.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

A buttress is an exterior support projecting from a wall that is used to resist the sideways force, also called thrust, created by the load on an arch or roof. Its name was first adopted into English as "butres" in the 14th century. It came to us from the Anglo-French (arche) boteraz, meaning "thrusting (arch)," and ultimately derives from the verb "buter," "to thrust." "Buter" is also the source of our verb butt, meaning "to thrust, push, or strike with the head or horns." Relatively soon, "buttress" came to be used figuratively for anything that supports or strengthens something else. In addition, it was also in the 14th century that "buttress" was first used as a verb meaning "to support or strengthen," literally and figuratively.

Illustration of buttress

Origin and Etymology of buttress

Middle English butres, from Anglo-French (arche) boteraz thrusting (arch), ultimately from buter to thrust — more at butt

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

buttress Synonyms

Synonyms

brace, mount, mounting, prop, reinforcement, shore, spur, stay, support, underpinning;

Related Words

shoring;

column, pedestal, pilaster, pillar;

arch, bolster, bracket, cantilever, girder;

bearing;

crutch, peg, post, stake, stanchion, stand, stilt, strut, truss;

base, foundation, frame;

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

buttress

verb

Definition of buttress

buttressed; buttressing; buttresses

transitive verb

architecture : to give support or stability to (a wall or building) with a projecting structure of masonry or wood : to furnish or shore up with a buttress (see ¹buttress 1); also : support, strengthen

arguments buttressed by solid facts

See buttress defined for English-language learners

Examples of buttress in a Sentence

The treaty will buttress the cause of peace.
The theory has been buttressed by the results of the experiment.

Recent Examples of buttress from the Web

To buttress his case that Democrats don’t occupy the moral high ground, French claims that Hillary Clinton’s record on women is no better than Trump’s.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "On #MeToo and Democrats’ Moral Authority," 18 May 2018
His involvement with all the major characters buttresses his case for the best athlete to appear on the show.

— michelle r. martinelli, For The Win, "The 10 funniest 'Seinfeld' sports cameos*, ranked," 9 May 2018
List-gate also forced the press to spend half a day debating the total number of attacks occurring across the world, drumming up fear and helping to buttress the president’s defense of his embattled immigration order.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Why the White House Wants the Media to Talk About Terrorism," 7 Feb. 2017
Since then, the airport has buttressed its ground radar system and shut down a confusing taxiway.

— Fox News, "FAA: Pilots caused most San Francisco airport close-calls," 2 May 2018
Since so many of Seattle’s recent early round selections have been offensive linemen, finding a ballcarrier was the surest way to buttress the rushing attack.

— andy benoit, SI.com, "2018 NFL Draft Grades: Analysis of All 32 Teams," 28 Apr. 2018
The administration of former President Barack Obama championed the Trans-Pacific Partnership as a strategy for buttressing U.S. influence and growing markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

— Washington Post, "NOT REAL NEWS: Trade deal not tied to Missouri plant closure," 27 Apr. 2018
Boldt's comments were widely circulated by critics of large farms to buttress their claims that the DNR has not adequately policed them.

— lee bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin high court sides with attorney general to let dairy farm case be heard in Waukesha, not Madison," 3 Apr. 2018
With its growing global economic and political clout, China is also keen to mend fences with one of the world's most influential institutions to buttress its own international image.

— james griffiths, CNN, "After almost 70 years, is China and Vatican rift set to heal?," 31 Mar. 2018