butt up
C1 neutral inseparable intransitive
In simple words
To touch or be right next to something, or to run into a problem or limit.
Literal meaning: For the end (butt) of something to press up against something else.
Meanings
1 C1 neutral
Of two physical objects or areas: to be directly touching or adjacent at a boundary.
"The new building butts up against the old stone wall, with barely an inch between them."
Grammar: inseparable
2 C1
idiomatic
neutral
To encounter a limit, obstacle, or opposing force.
"The reform proposal butt up against fierce resistance from the finance committee."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Most commonly used in the phrase 'butt up against'. The literal sense means physical adjacency (two structures sharing a boundary). The figurative sense means to encounter a problem, limit, or opposition. The figurative use is more common in American English.
Commonly used with
wall fence boundary limit problem restriction
Forms
Base
butt up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
butts up
he/she/it
Past simple
butted up
yesterday
Past participle
butted up
have + pp
-ing form
butting up
continuous
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Synonyms
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