What does "buttress" mean?
A brick, concrete or stone structure built against another structure to support it.
Buttress
/ˈbʌtɹɪs/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A brick, concrete or stone structure built against another structure to support it.
- Grammar: buttress is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abutment, advocate, affirm, affirming.
- Useful contrasts: collapse, disprove, opposition.
- Usage evidence: The Italian government may turn to the army to buttress the police in enforcing a dramatic "stay-at-home" order imposed Monday by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to try to retard the spread of the coronavirus contagion.
How to use "buttress"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "buttress" 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 "buttress" 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 "buttress" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "buttress" 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 "buttress" is acting as 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 "abutment" 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 "buttress", 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 brick, concrete or stone structure built against another structure to support it.
"It was decided, therefore, to build eight concrete buttresses from the new strengthening work to safeguard the general stability of the wall along the length where the greatest movement had taken place."
- 2 a support usually of stone or brick; supports the wall of a building wordnet
- 3 Anything that serves to support something; a prop. broadly
- 4 A buttress root.
- 5 A feature jutting prominently out from a mountain or rock.
"Crowell Buttresses, Dismal Buttress"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Anything that supports or strengthens. figuratively
"the grand pillar and buttress of the good old cause of nonconformity"
Verb
- 1 To support something physically with, or as if with, a prop or buttress.
- 2 make stronger or defensible wordnet
- 3 To support something or someone by supplying evidence. broadly, figuratively
"Buttressed by elaborate account statements and a deep reservoir of trust from his investors and regulators, Mr. Madoff steered his fraud scheme safely through a severe recession in the early 1990s, a global financial crisis in 1998 and the anxious aftermath of the terrorist attacks in September 2001."
- 4 reinforce with a buttress wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The Italian government may turn to the army to buttress the police in enforcing a dramatic "stay-at-home" order imposed Monday by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to try to retard the spread of the coronavirus contagion."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "buttress"?
Common synonyms include: abutment, advocate, affirm, affirming, afford support, alpenstock.
How do you use "buttress" in a sentence?
The Italian government may turn to the army to buttress the police in enforcing a dramatic "stay-at-home" order imposed Monday by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to try to retard the spread of the coronavirus contagion.
How do you pronounce "buttress"?
Pronounced /ˈbʌtɹɪs/.
Etymology
From Old French ars bouterez (noun, literally “supporting arcs”), from bouterez (adjective), oblique plural of bouteret (rare in the singular), from Frankish *bôtan, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to push”). Ultimately cognate with beat.