pigeonhole

²pigeonhole

verb

Definition of PIGEONHOLE

transitive verb

1

a : to place in or as if in the pigeonhole of a desk b : to lay aside : shelve <his reports continued to be pigeonholed and his advice not taken — Walter Mills>

2

: to assign to an often restrictive category : classify

— pi·geon·hol·er \-ˌhō-lər\ noun

Examples of PIGEONHOLE

1. She likes to perform different types of music because she doesn't want to be pigeonholed.

First Known Use of PIGEONHOLE

1840