By replacing dissimilar adherends and the adhesive with finite strips, the stress distributions in adhesive butt joints subjected to external tensile loads were analyzed strictly as a three-body contact problem using the two-dimensional theory of elasticity. The effects of the stiffness and the thickness of the adhesive layer, Poisson＇s ratios for the adhesive layer and the adherends, and external load distributions on the stress distributions were investigated by numerical calculations. In addition, the stress singularity formed at the edge of the interface was discussed. The analytical result was in fairly good agreement with the experimental finding concerning the strains produced on the adherends.