bread-and-but·ter
ˈbred-ən(d)-ˈbə-tər 
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
: 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
Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2024
But they’re also used in the bread-and-butter of ATF’s work: solving gun crimes.
—Ryan Lucas, NPR, 26 June 2024
Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 5 July 2024
And nobody seems sure about the long-term viability of Hollywood’s bread and butter — the feature film made for the big screen.
—Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for bread-and-butter 
Adjective
Marine Le Pen, the founder’s daughter, worked assiduously to detoxify its brand, putting an emphasis on bread-and-butter issues, distancing herself from some of the party’s most extreme stands and even ejecting her father in 2015.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2024
But they’re also used in the bread-and-butter of ATF’s work: solving gun crimes.
—Ryan Lucas, NPR, 26 June 2024
Noun
But nevertheless, his bread and butter would remain character roles in a long string of movies and TV shows over the subsequent decades.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 5 July 2024
And nobody seems sure about the long-term viability of Hollywood’s bread and butter — the feature film made for the big screen.
—Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 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.
Dictionary Entries Near bread-and-butter
Cite this Entry
“Bread-and-butter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bread-and-butter. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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