butt

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈbət 

plural butts

1

: buttocks

slipped and fell on his butt

—often used as a euphemism for ass in idiomatic expressions

Get your butt over here.

kick butt

saved our butts

2

: the large or thicker end part of something:

a

: the thicker or handle end of a tool or weapon

the butt of a rifle

b

food : a marbled upper cut of the pork shoulder

called also Boston butt

c

: the base of a plant from which the roots spring

3

a

: an unused remainder (as of a cigarette or cigar)

b

slang : cigarette

4

: the part of a hide or skin corresponding to the animal's back and sides

butt

2 of 6

noun (2)

1

: an object of abuse or ridicule : victim

the butt of all their jokes

2

a

: target

b

butts plural : range sense 5c

shooting butts

c

: a blind for shooting birds

d

: a backstop (such as a mound or bank) for catching missiles shot at a target

3

a

archaic : goal

here is my journey's end, here is my butt

—William Shakespeare

b

obsolete : limit, bound

butt

3 of 6

verb (1)

butted; butting; butts

transitive verb

: to strike or shove with the head or horns

got butted by a goat

butting their horns together

intransitive verb

: to thrust or push headfirst : strike with the head or horns

butt

4 of 6

noun (3)

: a blow or thrust usually with the head or horns

a head butt to the ribs

butt

5 of 6

verb (2)

butted; butting; butts

intransitive verb

: abut

—used with on or against

where the floorboards butt against each other

The apartment building butts up against an old church.

transitive verb

1

: to place end to end or side to side without overlapping

butt the boards together

2

: to trim or square off (something, such as a log) at the end

3

: to reduce (something, such as a cigarette) to an unused remainder by stubbing or stamping : to reduce to a butt (see butt entry 1 sense 3a)

butt

6 of 6

noun (4)

1

: a large cask especially for wine, beer, or water

2

: any of various units of liquid capacity

especially : a measure equal to 108 imperial (see imperial entry 1 sense 4) gallons (491 liters)

Phrases

butt heads

: to come into conflict

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• backside
• behind
• booty [slang]
• bootie
• bottom
• breech
• bum
• buns
• buttocks
• caboose
• can
• cheeks
• derriere
• derrière
• duff
• fanny
• fundament
• hams
• haunches
• heinie [slang]
• hunkers
• keister [slang]
• keester
• nates
• posterior
• rear
• rear end
• rump
• seat
• tail
• tail end
• tush [slang]

Noun (3)

• derision
• jest
• joke
• laughingstock
• mark
• mock
• mockery
• sport
• target

Verb (2)

• abut
• adjoin
• border (on)
• flank
• fringe
• join
• march (with)
• neighbor
• skirt
• touch
• verge (on)

Noun (4)

• barrel
• cask
• firkin
• hogshead
• keg
• kilderkin
• pipe
• puncheon
• rundlet
• runlet
• tun

Examples of butt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The duo was dressed to kick butt, and the costumes helped convey that sense of power. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2024

At no point did Sacha actually ask her to put a finger in his butt. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2024

Speculation about the princess's whereabouts has reached a fever pitch, with conspiracy theories running the gamut from Brazilian butt lift to imminent divorce. —Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2024

According to the lawsuit, Parham, 21, began grooming Doe in September 2023 by complimenting her appearance and touching her waist, thighs and butt while on school grounds and in front of other students. —Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024

In June 2021, Erica Russell of Tennessee underwent a BBL (Brazilian butt lift) procedure at Seduction Cosmetic Center's facility in Coral Gables, Fla., per the Miami-Dade County court documents acquired by PEOPLE. —Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024

Their plots and performances can be turned into musical jokes, and who is the butt of the joke more than Crystal himself? —Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2024

Underneath are built-in bikini bottoms with full butt coverage. —Kristine Solomon, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2024

Her abdominal surgery is really a BBL (Brazilian butt lift). —Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024

Verb

Musk and Bezos have publicly butted heads for over a decade, including over their years-long space race with their respective reusable rocket companies. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024

But then Kelce and Van Noy started jawing back and forth and then, unbelievably, Van Noy head butted Kelce, drawing a penalty. —Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024

At the same time, Bynes was butting heads with her parents. —Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024

Unsurprisingly, Vichy officials didn’t like that kind of talk, and the sultan butted heads with them repeatedly. —Theo Zenou, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024

Elsewhere, in December 2022, Navarro and Griffin butted heads over a segment about toxicity in the workplace. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 1 Mar. 2024

Coroner hopes cops can see victims as someone's child or parent In Manitowoc, Green has sometimes butted heads with law enforcement over how to treat families, especially after suicides. —Journal Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2024

Facebook Show more sharing options The city of San Diego and SeaWorld, which are butting heads over a legal claim that the theme park owes more than $12 million in back rent and fees, failed to settle the dispute in federal court this week. —Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2024

This beautiful coming of age story focuses on 13-year-old Mei Lee (Chiang) going through all the normal turmoil of puberty—butting heads with her mom (Oh), emotional roller coasters, drama with friends . . . —Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 5 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English; probably akin to Middle English buttok buttock, Low German butt blunt

Noun (2)

Middle English, partly from Middle French but target, of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse būtr log, Low German butt blunt; partly from Middle French bute goal, target, mound, from but target

Verb (1) and Noun (3)

Middle English, from Anglo-French buter, boter, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German bōzan to beat — more at beat

Verb (2)

partly from butt entry 1, partly from butt entry 2

Noun (4)

Middle English, from Anglo-French but, bout, from Old Occitan bota, from Late Latin buttis

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2d

Verb (1)

1579, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (3)

1642, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1634, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (4)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing butt

• Boston butt
• butt in
• butt hinge
• butt heads
• butt dial
• bubble butt
• get off one's butt
• butt shaft
• butt out
• butt naked
• butt joint
• water butt
• kick someone's butt
• kick butt
• head butt
• pain in the ass/butt
• butt weld

Kids Definition

butt

1 of 4 verb

ˈbət 

: to strike or thrust with the head or horns

butt

2 of 4 noun

: a blow or thrust with the head or horns

butt

3 of 4 noun

: a person who is treated badly or is made fun of

the butt of a joke

butt

4 of 4 noun

1

: buttock sense 2a

—often used in idiomatic expressions

saved our butts

get your butt over here

2

: the thicker or bottom end of something

the butt of a rifle

3

: an unused remainder

a cigarette butt