buttoning

verb

present participle of button
as in fastening

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttoning
  1. fastening
  2. affixing
  3. tying
  4. clasping
  5. bending
  6. clamping
  7. cinching
  8. clenching
Verb
  • Paired with her chocolate brown booties, Camilla donned a black wool trench coat with button closures fastening the collar in place, layered over what appeared to be a cowl-neck blouse with a floral-esque pattern.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • If your duvet cover has buttons or zippers, Ceconi recommends fastening the closures before laundering to prevent tangling.
    — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 14 July 2026
Definition of fastening
Verb
  • Aerosmith teased the shows earlier this week with a post on social media where lead singer Steven Tyler stood on a ladder next to photographer Ross Halpin, affixing letters to the Hollywood Bowl sign.
    — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • His misdemeanor charges include following too closely and affixing an unauthorized sun screening device to a motor vehicle, jail records show.
    — Tanya Babbar, Houston Chronicle, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of affixing
Verb
  • Gauthier extended his goals streak to six games and his points streak to a career best-tying eight games with his fourth multi-goal performance during this electric sequence, including three of his four career hat tricks.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Artemi Panarin appeared to score a tying rebound goal for Los Angeles late in the second period, but it was disallowed after video review determined the Kings' zone entry had been barely offside.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of tying
Verb
  • The upshot of this is that George, who works the room in a sharp gray suit, a few tattoos peeking out, has plenty of opportunities to charismatically make things right, shaking hands and clasping shoulders and sending over lull-filling drinks.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But if the awards season goes as the streamer plans, a journey that began in Cannes with a rapturous standing ovation, could end with Los Javis clasping some golden statues.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of clasping
Verb
  • At night growth is greater on the west side, bending the plant back toward the east.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Each is a movement the machine controls separately, such as bending an elbow.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of bending
Verb
  • The firm plastic makes the headphones’ clamping force strong, though, which may bother some kids.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The movie starts with Farrier reporting on Bashford Antiques, a shop in Ponsonby that has begun aggressively clamping cars in its lot and demanding exorbitant fees to release them — up to $760.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of clamping
Verb
  • Our favorite dress picks have a variety of styles and versatile features, like darling ruffles, cinching waistlines, and trending silhouettes.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The top has a practical drawstring waist with a cinching effect, plus a small pocket.
    — Brooke Knappenberger, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of cinching
Verb
  • The result can slim the lower face and ease clenching, grinding and TMJ pain.
    — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The third sits nearer the ear and detects chewing and teeth clenching.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of clenching
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.

Browse Nearby Words

buttonholes
buttoning
buttoning (up)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Buttoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttoning. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of defer

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All