push-button

1 of 2

adjective

push-but·​ton ˈpu̇sh-ˌbə-tᵊn 

1

: operated or done by means of push buttons

a push-button phone

2

: using or dependent on complex and more or less self-operating mechanisms that are put in operation by a simple act comparable to pushing a button

push-button warfare

push button

2 of 2

noun

: a small button or knob that when pushed operates something especially by closing an electric circuit

Examples of push-button in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

At its simplest, a wind phone is a rotary or push-button phone located in a secluded spot in nature, usually within a booth-type structure and often next to a chair or bench. —Taryn Lindhorst, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

Cruise co-founder Kyle Vogt shows off the push-button opening of the laterally opening doors on the new Cruise Origin, a fully autonomous passenger vehicle, in San Francisco, Jan. 21, 2020. —Michael Wayland, CNBC, 23 July 2024

Noun

On the interest side, banks pull levers and push buttons to make the best of any rate environment. —Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2024

The push button radio start-stop is nearly hidden behind the steering wheel. —James Raia, The Mercury News, 14 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1874, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

push-button

1 of 2 adjective

1

: operated or done by means of push buttons

a push-button phone

2

: using or dependent on complicated automatic machines

push-button warfare

a push-button civilization

push button

2 of 2 noun

: a small button or knob that when pushed operates something especially by closing an electric circuit