What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Button vs Handle - What's the difference?

button | handle |

As a proper noun button

is .

As a noun handle is

a part of an object which is held in the hand when used or moved, as the haft of a sword, the knob of a door, the bail of a kettle, etc or handle can be (slang) a name, nickname or pseudonym.

As a verb handle is

to use the hands.

button

English

(wikipedia button)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A knob or disc that is passed through a loop or (buttonhole), serving as a fastener.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me. I look upon notoriety with the same indifference as on the buttons on a man's shirt-front, or the crest on his note-paper.}}
  • A mechanical device meant to be pressed with a finger in order to open or close an electric circuit or to activate a mechanism.
  • (graphical user interface) An on-screen control that can be selected as an activator of an attached function.
  • (US) A badge worn on clothes, fixed with a pin through the fabric.
  • (botany) A bud.
  • (Shakespeare)
  • (slang) The clitoris.
  • (curling) The center (bullseye) of the house.
  • (fencing) The soft circular tip at the end of a foil.
  • (poker) A plastic disk used to represent the person in last position in a poker game; also dealer's button .
  • (poker) The player who is last to act after the flop, turn and river, who possesses the button.
  • A raised pavement marker to further indicate the presence of a pavement marking painted stripe.
  • (South Africa, slang) A methaqualone tablet (used as a recreational drug).
  • A piece of wood or metal, usually flat and elongated, turning on a nail or screw, to fasten something, such as a door.
  • A globule of metal remaining on an assay cupel or in a crucible, after fusion.
  • A knob; a small ball; a small, roundish mass.
  • A small white blotch on a cat's coat.
  • A unit of length equal to 1/12 of an inch.
  • Usage notes

    For the senses 2 and 3, a button is often marked by a verb rather than a noun, and the button itself is called with the verb and button''. For example, a button to start something is generally called ''start button .

    Derived terms

    {{der3, bachelor's button , belly button , billy buttons , , button accordion , buttonhole , buttonhook , buttonlike , buttonless , button man , button mangrove , button mushroom , button nose , buttonology , button-punch , button-pusher , buttonquail , buttonwood , cute as a button , eject button , fire button , have one's finger on the button , hot button , on the button , panic button , power button , push someone's buttons , radio button , red button , snooze button , start button , stay-button , tummy button}}

    See also

    * switch * toggle * trigger

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To fasten with a button.
  • * Charles Dickens
  • To be fastened by a button or buttons.
  • Derived terms

    * button one's lip * button up * unbutton

    handle

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) handel, handle, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A part of an object which is held in the hand when used or moved, as the haft of a sword, the knob of a door, the bail of a kettle, etc.
  • * '>citation
  • * '>citation
  • *
  • That of which use is made; an instrument for effecting a purpose (either literally or figuratively); a tool.
  • * '>citation
  • * '>citation
  • *
  • (Australia, New Zealand) A 10 fl oz (285 ml) glass of beer in the Northern Territory. See also pot, middy for other regional variations.
  • * '>citation
  • * '>citation
  • *
  • (American) A half-gallon (1.75-liter) bottle of alcohol.
  • (computing) A reference to an object or structure that can be stored in a variable.
  • * '>citation
  • * '>citation
  • This article describes how to find the module name from the window handle .
  • (gambling) The gross amount of wagering within a given period of time or for a given event at one of more establishments.
  • * '>citation
  • * '>citation
  • * '>citation
  • The daily handle of a Las Vegas casino is typically millions of dollars.
  • (geography, Newfoundland, and, Labrador, rare) A point, an extremity of land.
  • Handle of the Sug, Nfld.
  • (textiles) The tactile qualities of a fabric, e.g., softness, firmness, elasticity, fineness, resilience, and other qualities perceived by touch.
  • (topology) A topological space homeomorphic to a ball but viewed as a product of two lower-dimensional balls.
  • * '>citation
  • Derived terms
    * give a handle * handlebar, handlebars * handlebody * handleless * handling * love handle

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) handlen, from (etyl) .

    Verb

  • To use the hands.
  • * Psalm 115:7:
  • They [idols made of gold and silver] have hands, but they handle not
  • To touch; to feel with the hand.
  • * Luke 24:39:
  • Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh.
  • To use or hold with the hand.
  • * :
  • About his altar, handling holy things
  • To manage in using, as a spade or a musket; to wield; often, to manage skillfully.
  • * Shakespeare, King Lear , IV-vi:
  • That fellow handles his bow like a crowkeeper
  • To accustom to the hand; to work upon, or take care of, with the hands.
  • * Sir W. Temple:
  • The hardness of the winters forces the breeders to house and handle their colts six months every year
  • To receive and transfer; to have pass through one's hands; hence, to buy and sell
  • a merchant handles a variety of goods, or a large stock
  • To deal with; to make a business of.
  • * Jeremiah, 2:8:
  • They that handle the law knew me not
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=December 16 , author=Denis Campbell , title=Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients' , work=Guardian citation , page= , passage=The findings emerged from questionnaires filled in by 2,211 staff in 145 wards of 55 hospitals in England and Wales and 105 observations of care of dementia patients. Two-thirds of staff said they had not had enough training to provide proper care, 50% said they had not been trained how to communicate properly with such patients and 54% had not been told how to handle challenging or aggressive behaviour.}}
  • To treat; to use, well or ill.
  • * Shakespeare, Henry VI , Part I, I-iv:
  • How wert thou handled being prisoner
  • To manage; to control; to practice skill upon.
  • * Shakespeare, Measure for Measure , V-i:
  • You shall see how I'll handle her
  • To use or manage in writing or speaking; to treat, as a theme, an argument, or an objection.
  • * :
  • We will handle what persons are apt to envy others
  • (soccer) To touch the ball with the hand or arm; to commit handball.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=February 12 , author=Les Roopanarine , title=Birmingham 1 - 0 Stoke , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Robert Huth handled a Bentley shot, only for the offence to go unnoticed.}}
    Synonyms
    * feel * finger * touch * deal * manage * treat
    Derived terms
    * to handle without gloves: (colloquial) See under glove * mishandle

    Etymology 3

    Originally Cornish-American, from (etyl) , later hanow (pronounced han'of'' or ''han'o ).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (slang) A name, nickname or pseudonym.
  • * '>citation
  • * '>citation
  • * '>citation