bread-and-butter

1 of 2

adjective

bread-and-but·​ter ˈbred-ən(d)-ˈbə-tər How to pronounce bread-and-butter (audio)
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

bread and butter

2 of 2

noun

: 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
Adjective
But they’re also used in the bread-and-butter of ATF’s work: solving gun crimes. Ryan Lucas, NPR, 26 June 2024 Naturally, such a law could’ve put an end to Gittes’ line of detective work; investigating and photographing infidelities is his bread-and-butter. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 22 June 2024
Noun
Nothing against them -- that is still our bread and butter. Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 20 June 2024 It’s sliced; salted, 2 percent by weight, to remove excess moisture; then rehydrated and seasoned with housemade Thousand Island dressing that uses bread and butter pickles from the Pickle Guys. New York Times, 18 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for bread-and-butter 

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.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1770, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near bread-and-butter

bread and butter

bread-and-butter

bread-and-butter pickle

Cite this Entry

“Bread-and-butter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bread-and-butter. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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