Illustration of buttress
- buttress 1
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; buttressing; buttresses
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 buttress entry 1 sense 1)
Did you know?
The word buttress first budded in the world of architecture during the 14th century, when it was used to describe an exterior support that projects from a wall to resist the sideways force, called thrust, created by the load on an arch or roof. The word ultimately comes from the Anglo-French verb buter, meaning "to thrust." Buter is also the source of our verb butt, meaning "to thrust, push, or strike with the head or horns." Buttress developed figurative use relatively soon after its adoption, being applied to anything that supports or strengthens something else. No buts about it: the world would not be the same without buttresses.
Synonyms
Examples of buttress in a Sentence
Noun
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
Verb
The treaty will buttress the cause of peace.
The theory has been buttressed by the results of the experiment.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jack Butler, National Review, 6 Oct. 2024
Channeling one’s focus on the Lego version of a flying buttress, repeated dozens of times across the exterior, means not scrolling social media, and to click the bell towers into place is to hear the sound of satisfaction.
—Amy Verner, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2024
Korrin Bishop, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024
Participating in and reforming them is one of the best ways to buttress the international order against efforts to tear it down.
—Antony J. Blinken, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for buttress 
Noun
But new research undercuts one of the more popular academic buttresses of this blatant politicization.
—Jack Butler, National Review, 6 Oct. 2024
Channeling one’s focus on the Lego version of a flying buttress, repeated dozens of times across the exterior, means not scrolling social media, and to click the bell towers into place is to hear the sound of satisfaction.
—Amy Verner, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2024
Verb
This quaint small town is tucked within southern Middle Tennessee’s gentle rolling hills and buttressed by tranquil countryside farms.
—Korrin Bishop, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024
Participating in and reforming them is one of the best ways to buttress the international order against efforts to tear it down.
—Antony J. Blinken, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for buttress
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buttress.' 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 buttress
Cite this Entry
“Buttress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buttress. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
buttress
1 of 2 noun
but·tress
ˈbə-trəs 
1
: a structure built against a wall or building to give support and strength
2
: something that supports, props, or strengthens
buttress
2 of 2 verb
: to support with or as if with a buttress
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