What does "butler" mean?
A manservant having charge of wines and liquors.
Butler
/ˈbʌt.lɚ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A manservant having charge of wines and liquors.
- Grammar: butler is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: attorney, bailiff, boy, chamberlain.
- Useful contrasts: employer, master, owner.
- Usage evidence: The butler announced Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
How to use "butler"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "butler" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "butler" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "butler" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "butler" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "butler" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "attorney" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "butler", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A manservant having charge of wines and liquors.
- 2 a servant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table wordnet
- 3 The chief male servant of a household who has charge of other employees, receives guests, directs the serving of meals, and performs various personal services.
"“One marble hall, with staircase complete, one butler and three flunkeys to receive a retired sojer who dares to ring the bell. D'you know, old boy, I gave my bowler to the butler, whangee to one flunkey, gloves to another, and there was the fourth poor blighter looking like an orphan at a Mothers' Meeting. …""
- 4 A valet, a male personal attendant.
Verb
- 1 To buttle, to dispense wines or liquors; to take the place of a butler.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.; An English and Irish surname from Middle English [in turn originating as an occupation], for someone who was a butler or wine servant. countable, uncountable
- 2 A surname.; An Anglicized form of the French Boutilier, Boutillier, Bouthillier surname from French of similar derivation. countable, uncountable
- 3 A male given name. countable, uncountable
- 4 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A town, the county seat of Choctaw County, Alabama. countable, uncountable
- 5 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A populated place in Mohave County, Arizona. countable, uncountable
Show 26 more definitions
- 6 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A ghost town in Fresno County, California. countable, uncountable
- 7 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A small city, the county seat of Taylor County, Georgia. countable, uncountable
- 8 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A small village in Montgomery County, Illinois. countable, uncountable
- 9 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A small city in DeKalb County, Indiana. countable, uncountable
- 10 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A home rule city in Pendleton County, Kentucky. countable, uncountable
- 11 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; An unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland. countable, uncountable
- 12 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A city, the county seat of Bates County, Missouri. countable, uncountable
- 13 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A borough of Morris County, New Jersey. countable, uncountable
- 14 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A town in Wayne County, New York. countable, uncountable
- 15 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A village in Richland County, Ohio. countable, uncountable
- 16 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A town in Custer County, Oklahoma. countable, uncountable
- 17 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A census-designated place in Delaware County, Oklahoma. countable, uncountable
- 18 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A city, the county seat of Butler County, Pennsylvania. countable, uncountable
- 19 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A tiny town in Day County, South Dakota. countable, uncountable
- 20 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; An unincorporated community in Johnson County, Tennessee. countable, uncountable
- 21 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; An unincorporated community in Freestone County, Texas. countable, uncountable
- 22 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; An unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas. countable, uncountable
- 23 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A small town in Clark County, Wisconsin. countable, uncountable
- 24 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. countable, uncountable
- 25 A placename:; A location in the United States of America:; A number of townships in the United States, listed under Butler Township. countable, uncountable
- 26 A placename:; A location in Canada countable, uncountable
- 27 A placename:; A location in Canada; An unincorporated community in Manitoba, Canada. countable, uncountable
- 28 A placename:; A location in Australia:; A locality in South Australia. countable, uncountable
- 29 A placename:; A location in Australia:; An outer suburb of Perth, Western Australia. countable, uncountable
- 30 A placename:; Ellipsis of Butler County. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 31 A placename:; Ellipsis of Butler River. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
Example
"The butler announced Mr. and Mrs. Smith."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "butler"?
Common synonyms include: attorney, bailiff, boy, chamberlain, chauffeur, coachman.
How do you use "butler" in a sentence?
The butler announced Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
How do you pronounce "butler"?
Pronounced /ˈbʌt.lɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English butler, butlere, boteler, botelere, from Old French buttiler, butiller, boteillier (“officer in charge of wine”), from Medieval Latin botellārius, equivalent to bottle + -er. Piecewise doublet of bottler.
Etymology 2
* (English surname): From Middle English Butler. * (Anglicized surname): From French Boutilier, Boutillier, Bouthillier. * (placename): From the surname