Phrase guide

butter knife

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A non-serrated or unilaterally serrated table knife with a dull edge and rounded point, designed for spreading butter on a piece of bread without tearing it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: butter spreader

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a small knife with a dull blade; for cutting or spreading butter

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: table knife

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 黃油刀 /黄油刀 (huángyóu dāo) — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Esperanto: butertranĉilo — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Estonian: võinuga — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Finnish: voiveitsi — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • French: couteau à beurre — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Galician: coitelo de manteiga — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Galician: coitelo de untar — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • German: Buttermesser — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Icelandic: smjörhnífur — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Italian: coltello da burro — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Japanese: バターナイフ (batā naifu) — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Korean: 버터 나이프 (beoteo naipeu) — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Polish: nóż do masła — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Portuguese: faca de manteiga — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Russian: нож для ма́сла (nož dlja másla) — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Spanish: cuchillo de untar — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Turkish: tereyağ bıçağı — dull-edged knife for spreading butter
  • Turkish: tereyağı bıçağı — dull-edged knife for spreading butter