Definition of button man in English:

noun

• A hired killer.

  ‘the Mafiosi conferred with their button men’

  More example sentences

  • ‘It is widely known, for example, that Mafia button men rarely kill for money, but usually carry out such assassinations as a kind of ‘gotcha’ that keeps other underworld figures on their toes.’
  • ‘Before they hauled away the servers - an act that would briefly cause controversy in the hosting community - he allegedly admitted to the attacks, and named all three of his cyber button men.’
  • ‘She is afraid Pasquale will grow up to be a ‘button man’ like his father and wants a better life for him.’
  • ‘According to Gang Land, he was quite a button man in New Jersey.’

  Synonyms

  armed robber, hold-up man, bandit, gangster, terrorist, gunfighter

  View synonyms