Brunt vs. Butt — What's the Difference?

The focal point of a negative outcome.

The end part of something, especially a tool or weapon.

The essence or core part of a difficult situation.

To collide head-on, typically used regarding animals.

The heaviest part of a burden or responsibility.

The buttocks or rear end.

The peak or climax of a challenging period.

A large barrel or cask.

The main force or impact of something.

The remains of a smoked cigarette.

Brunt is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Chris Brunt, Northern Irish football player David Brunt, British meteorologist Dominic Brunt, English actor John Brunt, soldier in World War II who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross John Brunt V.C. (public house), the pub that bears his name Jon Brunt (born 1974), American curler Katherine Brunt, English cricketer and 2006 England women's Cricketer of the Year Martin Brunt, crime correspondent for Sky News Maureen Brunt (1928–2019), Australian economist and professor Maureen Clark née Brunt, American Olympic curler Peter Brunt, ancient historian at Oxford University Stephen Brunt, Canadian sports journalist Tony Brunt (born 1947), New Zealand journalist, activist and politician.

(of a person or animal) hit (someone or something) with the head or horns

The main impact or force, as of an attack.

Adjoin or meet end to end

The main burden

A push or blow, especially one given with the head.

The full adverse effects; the chief consequences or negative results of a thing or event.

The person or thing at which criticism or ridicule is directed

The force or shock of an attack in war.

An archery or shooting target or range.

The major part of something; the bulk.

The thicker end of something, especially a tool or a weapon

(obsolete) A violent attack or charge in battle.

The stub of a cigar or a cigarette.

A sudden harmful onset or attack (of disease, unbelief, persecution, etc.).

A person's buttocks or anus

(obsolete) A spurt, a sudden effort or straining.

The trunk of a tree, especially the part just above the ground.

To bear the brunt of; to weather or withstand.

A cask, typically used for wine, beer, or water

To make a violent attack or charge.

A liquid measure equal to 126 US gallons (equivalent to 477.5 litres).

The heat, or utmost violence, of an onset; the strength or greatest fury of any contention; as, the brunt of a battle.

To hit or push against with the head or horns; ram.

The force of a blow; shock; collision.

To hit or push something with the head or horns.

Main force of a blow etc;

To project forward or out.

To join or be joined end to end; abut.

A push or blow with the head or horns.

A butt joint.

A butt hinge.

One that serves as an object of ridicule or contempt

A target, as in archery or riflery.

Butts A target range.

An obstacle behind a target for stopping the shot.

An embankment or hollow used as a blind by hunters of wildfowl.

(Archaic) A goal.

(Obsolete) A bound; a limit.

The larger or thicker end of an object

An unburned end, as of a cigarette.

(Informal) A cigarette.

A short or broken remnant; a stub.

(Informal) The buttocks; the rear end.

A large cask.

A unit of volume equal to two hogsheads, usually the equivalent of 126 US gallons (about 477 liters).

(Slang) Very. Used as an intensive

(countable) The larger or thicker end of something; the blunt end, in distinction from the sharp or narrow end

The buttocks used as a minced oath in idiomatic expressions; less objectionable than arse/ass.

(leather trades) The thickest and stoutest part of tanned oxhides, used for soles of boots, harness, trunks.

(countable) The waste end of anything.

(slang) A used cigarette.

A piece of land left unplowed at the end of a field.

Hassock.

(US) A crust end-piece of a loaf of bread.

An end of something, often distinguished in some way from the other end.

(lacrosse) The plastic or rubber cap used to cover the open end of a lacrosse stick's shaft in order to reduce injury.

The portion of a half-coupling fastened to the end of a hose.

The end of a connecting rod or other like piece, to which the boxing is attached by the strap, cotter, and gib.

(mechanical) A joint where the ends of two objects come squarely together without scarfing or chamfering.

(carpentry) A kind of hinge used in hanging doors, etc., so named because it is attached to the inside edge of the door and butts against the casing, instead of on its face, like the strap hinge; also called butt hinge.

(shipbuilding) The joint where two planks in a strake meet.

The blunt back part of an axehead or large blade. Also called the poll.

(countable) A limit; a bound; a goal; the extreme bound; the end.

A mark to be shot at; a target.

Usually as "butt of (a) joke" A person at whom ridicule, jest, or contempt is directed.

The hut or shelter of the person who attends to the targets in rifle practice.

A push, thrust, or sudden blow, given by the head; a head butt.

A thrust in fencing.

(English units) An English measure of capacity for liquids, containing 126 wine gallons which is one-half tun; equivalent to the pipe.

A wooden cask for storing wine, usually containing 126 gallons.

(Northern England) Any of various flatfish such as sole, plaice or turbot

A heavy two-wheeled cart.

A three-wheeled cart resembling a wheelbarrow.

The shoulder of an animal, especially the portion above the picnic, as a cut of meat.

To join at the butt, end, or outward extremity; to terminate; to be bounded; to abut.

(transitive) To strike bluntly, particularly with the head.

(intransitive) To strike bluntly with the head.

A limit; a bound; a goal; the extreme bound; the end.

A mark to be shot at; a target.

A person at whom ridicule, jest, or contempt is directed; as, the butt of the company.

A push, thrust, or sudden blow, given by the head of an animal; as, the butt of a ram.

A thrust in fencing.

A piece of land left unplowed at the end of a field.

A joint where the ends of two objects come squarely together without scarfing or chamfering; - also called butt joint.

The joint where two planks in a strake meet.

A kind of hinge used in hanging doors, etc.; - so named because fastened on the edge of the door, which butts against the casing, instead of on its face, like the strap hinge; also called butt hinge.

The thickest and stoutest part of tanned oxhides, used for soles of boots, harness, trunks.

The hut or shelter of the person who attends to the targets in rifle practice.

The buttocks; as, get up off your butt and get to work; - used as a euphemism, less objectionable than ass.

A large cask or vessel for wine or beer. It contains two hogsheads.

The common English flounder.

To join at the butt, end, or outward extremity; to terminate; to be bounded; to abut.

To strike by thrusting the head against; to strike with the head.

Thick end of the handle

A victim of ridicule or pranks

The fleshy part of the human body that you sit on;

Sports equipment consisting of an object set up for a marksman or archer to aim at

Finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking

A joint made by fastening ends together without overlapping

A large cask (especially one holding a volume equivalent to 2 hogsheads or 126 gallons)

The small unused part of something (especially the end of a cigarette that is left after smoking)

Lie adjacent to another or share a boundary;

To strike, thrust or shove against, often with head or horns;

Place end to end without overlapping;

Yes, it can describe the action of colliding head-on, especially used for animals.

While it can, it's more often used metaphorically to describe the impact of non-physical forces.

"He tapped the microphone's butt to check if it was on."

It means enduring the main force or impact of something challenging or negative.

The butt of a gun is the part you hold or rest against your shoulder.

Yes, especially when referring to the buttocks or in casual speech.

A frontline worker facing challenges during a crisis.

Mostly, it refers to the main impact or burden of negative situations.

Its primary meanings are physical, either as the end part of something or an act of collision.

It describes the action of animals, like goats or rams, colliding with their heads or horns.

It's more common in formal or descriptive contexts, especially relating to impacts and challenges.

Discussing the impact of economic downturns on industries.

"Brunt" deals with enduring challenges, while "butt" is not typically used in this context.

Rarely, as it typically focuses on the negative aspects of force or impact.

It's used to describe aggressive or territorial actions like head-butting.