Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

push someone's buttons

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.78 in modern English

Syllables: push -some-one's but-tons
IPA

28

Scrabble Score

19

Letters

4

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To do specific things to anger someone (or, less commonly, to sexually arouse or otherwise elicit a strong reaction from them), especially intentionally or maliciously.

Informal

Example Sentences

"Near-synonyms: trigger, get on someone's nerves"
"You really knew how to push my buttons."
"I end up cleaning up after her, which I’ve repeatedly told her makes me upset. She’s a smart, talented kid. So why does she keep pushing my buttons?"

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

pushes someone's buttons (present, singular) pushing someone's buttons (participle, present) pushed someone's buttons (participle, past) pushed someone's buttons (past) press someone's buttons (alternative)

Phrases

button pusher push the right buttons pet peeve

Frequently Paired Words

button pusher push the right buttons pet peeve

Synonyms

trigger get on someone's nerves

Questions

What does push someone's buttons mean?: To do specific things to anger someone (or, less commonly, to sexually arouse or otherwise elicit a strong reaction from them), especially intentionally or maliciously.

How to pronounce push someone's buttons

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