# button pusher

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/button-pusher
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Someone who pushes someone else's buttons: someone who goads, annoys, provokes, etc.

## Examples

- My brother is such a button pusher when we play games.
- She tries to ignore her coworker, but he is a real button pusher who loves to start arguments.
- Despite his professional demeanor, he proved to be a calculated button pusher, intentionally provoking his rivals during the debate to force them into making a mistake.

## Origin

Derived from a metaphor of mechanical control, the term likens human emotions to a set of literal buttons that may be depressed to elicit a predictable response. The recipient is manipulated on command, their reactions triggered by an external operator as if they were a piece of heavy machinery or a convenient household appliance. The mechanism is tangentially comparable to that of a puppet master pulling strings to manipulate puppets. In this arrangement, the button pusher assumes the role of the operator, while the recipient occupies the position of the controlled object, their internal state adjusted by the simple application of pressure.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.