push someone's buttons en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Meanings
-
(informal) 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.
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?
2019 April 10, Cheryl Maguire, “How to Stop Thinking Your Teen Is ‘Pushing Your Buttons’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pushes someone's buttons | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| pushed someone's buttons | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| pushed someone's buttons | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| press someone's buttons | alternative | lexicographic | |
| pushing someone's buttons | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Relateds
button pusher · pet peeve · push the right buttons
Synonyms
get on someone's nerves · trigger
Translations (5)
es mojar la oreja (Translations) · fr taper sur le système (Translations) · pl prowokować (Translations) · pl sprowokować (Translations) · es buscarle las cosquillas (Translations)