A push button is a simple switch you press with your finger to make something happen. When you push an elevator button, press a doorbell, or tap the power button on a remote control, you're using a push button. The button moves slightly inward when pressed, then springs back out when released.

Push buttons work by completing an electrical circuit when pressed, sending a signal that triggers an action. Before push buttons became common in the late 1800s, most switches required turning, pulling, or sliding. The invention of reliable push buttons made machines much easier to control with just a quick tap.

Today push buttons are everywhere: on phones, appliances, cars, and electronic devices. Some are physical buttons you can feel click beneath your finger, while others are virtual buttons on touchscreens that just look like buttons.

The term can also describe something requiring very little effort. If a task is push-button easy, it means almost anyone can do it with minimal skill or thought. When someone describes a process as push-button, they might mean it's automated or simplified to the point where you barely need to think about it.