Butt out
phrasal verb butts out (3rd person singular), butted out (past simple/past participle), butting out (present participle)
Definition
1. To stop interfering in someone else’s business.
2. To mind your own business.
3. To tell someone to stop meddling.
4. To extinguish a cigarette by pressing it against something.
2. To mind your own business.
3. To tell someone to stop meddling.
4. To extinguish a cigarette by pressing it against something.
Context Alive
When her mother-in-law started giving unsolicited advice about how to raise the baby for the fifth time that week, she finally lost patience and politely but firmly asked her to butt out of parenting decisions, explaining that she and her husband would figure things out their own way.
Meanings
5 meanings 1 To Stop Interfering in Someone Else's Business — VERY COMMON Common ▼
This is the meaning you’ll hear most often in everyday conversation. When you tell someone to butt out, you’re telling them to stop meddling, stop giving unwanted opinions, and stop involving themselves in something that doesn’t concern them. It’s direct and a little rude—you wouldn’t say it to your boss, but you might say it to a nosy sibling. A teenager might yell “Butt out of my life!” to overprotective parents. Friends might say “I know you’re trying to help, but please butt out” when advice becomes overwhelming. It’s basically saying “this is none of your business, so stop.”
Vivid ExampleHer older brother kept trying to control who she dated, so she finally told him to butt out of her love life, reminding him that she was twenty-eight years old and perfectly capable of choosing her own boyfriend without his approval.
2 Mind Your Own Business — VERY COMMON Common ▼
This is essentially the same concept but used as a general command or philosophy. “Butt out” is the action version of “mind your own business.” When two colleagues are arguing and a third person tries to join in, someone might snap “Butt out—this doesn’t involve you.” Some people live by the philosophy that others should butt out of private matters entirely. You’ll hear it in phrases like “I wish everyone would just butt out and let me make my own mistakes” when someone feels overwhelmed by people who won’t stop offering opinions.
Vivid ExampleThe neighbors had strong opinions about how the couple should renovate their house, but the homeowner posted a sign saying “Kindly butt out—we didn’t ask for design advice” after the third unsolicited comment about their choice of paint color.
3 To Extinguish a Cigarette — COMMON Common ▼
This is the literal, physical meaning. When you butt out a cigarette, you put it out by pressing the burning end against an ashtray, the ground, or another surface until it stops burning. The “butt” here refers to the cigarette butt—the part you throw away. You might hear someone say “Let me just butt out this cigarette before we go inside” or “She butted out her smoke and headed back to the office.” It’s common among smokers and in places where smoking is being restricted.
Vivid ExampleHe quickly butted out his cigarette on the wall when he saw his wife’s car pulling into the driveway, waving the smoke away frantically because he had promised her three times that he had finally quit for good.
4 Used as a Strong Rejection of Interference — COMMON Common ▼
Sometimes “Butt out!” is used as a sharp, emotional outburst—a way of forcefully rejecting someone’s involvement during a heated moment. When someone is stressed, angry, or feeling pressured, they might snap “Butt out!” even to people who are genuinely trying to help. It’s stronger than politely asking someone to step back. In movies and TV shows, you’ll often hear characters shout “Butt out!” during family arguments or confrontations. It signals that the speaker has reached their limit with interference.
Vivid Example“Butt out!” she shouted at her roommate who had started offering opinions during her phone argument with her mother, immediately regretting her harsh tone but too overwhelmed in that moment to apologize.
5 'Butt Out of' — Stop Involving Yourself in a Specific Matter — COMMON Common ▼
You’ll often hear “butt out of” followed by whatever someone should stop meddling in. “Butt out of my marriage.” “Butt out of our family drama.” “Butt out of politics if you don’t know what you’re talking about.” This construction makes it clear exactly what area the person should stay away from. It’s setting a boundary—saying “everything else is fine, but THIS topic is off-limits for you.”
Vivid ExampleThe celebrity posted a statement asking the media to butt out of her children’s lives, explaining that while she had chosen public fame, her kids deserved the chance to grow up without cameras following them to school every morning.
Examples from the Street
“This is none of your business — butt out!”
This doesn’t concern you — stop interfering!
“I wish my parents would just butt out of my love life.”
I wish my parents would stop meddling in my romantic relationships
“Butt out — I can handle this myself.”
Stop interfering — I can manage this on my own
Common Patterns
butt out → stop interfering; mind your own business
butt out of something → stop meddling in a specific matter
butt out of my life/business → stop interfering in personal matters
just butt out → emphatic demand to stop meddling
tell someone to butt out → instruct someone to stop interfering
need to butt out → should stop interfering
should/ought to butt out → advice to stop meddling
wish someone would butt out → desire for someone to stop interfering
learn to butt out → need to understand when not to interfere
butt out of my relationship → stop meddling in romantic matters
butt out of my decisions → stop interfering with my choices
butt out of other people’s affairs → stop meddling in others’ business
Collocations
2 collocationsbutt out of
stop interfering in someone's business
told to butt out
ordered to stop getting involved
Example Sentences
12 examples
1
This is between me and my brother — please butt out
This concerns only me and my sibling — please stop interfering.
2
I told my mother-in-law to butt out of our parenting decisions
I told my spouse’s mother to stop meddling in how we raise our children.
3
She needs to learn when to butt out and let people solve their own problems
She needs to understand when to stop interfering and allow others to fix their own issues.
4
I wish my colleagues would butt out of my personal life
I wish my workmates would stop prying into my private matters.
5
“Butt out!” she shouted when he tried to give advice
“Mind your own business!” she yelled when he attempted to offer suggestions.
6
Sometimes the best thing a manager can do is butt out and let the team work
Sometimes the finest approach for a supervisor is to stop interfering and allow the group to operate.
7
He was told to butt out of the negotiations
He was instructed to stop meddling in the discussions.
8
I know you want to help, but you really need to butt out
I understand you want to assist, but you truly need to stop getting involved.
9
Politicians should butt out of people’s private medical decisions
Elected officials should stop interfering in individuals’ personal health choices.
10
If you can’t be helpful, just butt out
If you can’t be useful, simply stop getting involved.
Learner Examples
★
When students are having a conversation in English, teachers sometimes need to butt out and let them make mistakes
When learners are speaking in the language, instructors occasionally need to stop interfering and allow them to make errors.
★
Parents who constantly correct their children’s English should sometimes butt out — over-correction kills confidence
Mothers and fathers who continually fix their kids’ language should occasionally stop meddling — excessive correction destroys self-belief.
Phrasal Verbs & Idioms
0 items
Synonyms & Antonyms
7 items
Synonymsmind your own business
stop interfering
back off
stop getting involved
stay out of it
don't get involved
keep out
don't interfere
Antonymsget involved
joining in
interfere
getting into someone's business
step in
taking action in a situation