Meaning & use
butt out
Last updated
Meanings
verbphrasal verbinformaldisapproving
To stop interfering in something that does not concern you, usually said as a rude command.
Grammar: No object; often followed by of: butt out of my business.
Patterns
- butt out of something
- tell someone to butt out
This is between my brother and me, so butt out.
She told her neighbor to butt out of the argument.
I wish my relatives would butt out of my career choices.
verbphrasal verbinformalAmerican
To put out a cigarette by pressing the end against a surface.
Grammar: Can take an object: butt out a cigarette, or butt it out.
Patterns
- butt out a cigarette
- butt something out
He butted out his cigarette on the curb.
Please butt out before you come inside.
She butted the cigarette out in the ashtray.
Word forms
| third person singular | butts out |
|---|---|
| past tense | butted out |
| past participle | butted out |
| -ing form | butting out |
Common combinations
- butt out of something
- Please butt out of my private conversations.
- tell someone to butt out
- I told him to butt out, and he left.
- butt out your cigarette
- He butted out his cigarette before entering.
- butt out of an argument
- Just butt out of the argument.
Synonyms and how they differ
- back off
- It is less direct and can also mean physically move away.
- mind your own business
- It is a full phrase that sounds more complete and slightly less abrupt than butt out.
- stay out of it
- It is milder and can be advice rather than a rude demand.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: butt out or butt in?
butt out vs butt in
Butt in means to interrupt or join where you are not wanted, while butt out means to leave a matter alone.
Practice
Which sentence uses butt out in the sense of 'stop interfering'?
Choose one answer.
Only the first sentence uses butt out as a command to stop interfering. The others are ungrammatical or do not carry that meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “butt out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.