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Buttonhole is easy to pin down as a noun referring to the slit or loop through which a button is passed to fasten something, but its shift to a verb meaning "to detain in conversation" requires some explanation. Buttonhole is an alteration of another verb now long out of use: buttonhold, which literally meant to hold on to the buttons or lapels of someone's coat when speaking to him or her. In the mid-19th century, English speakers altered the verb to buttonhole, perhaps as a result of hearing buttonhold as buttonholed. The overlap is apparent in an early instance of this spelling in an 1862 London publication called All Year Round: "The man who is button-holed, or held … and must listen to half an hour's harangue about nothing interesting."
Examples of buttonhole in a Sentence
Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 4 Jan. 2024
Insert the needle through the backside of the fabric, bringing it up through one of the buttonholes.
—Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 4 Jan. 2024
The pregnancy hair tie trick of looping a hair tie through the buttonhole of your pants and tying it around the button didn’t last me through my entire pregnancy.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 9 Feb. 2024
There are minor imperfections (the topmost of the polo’s four buttonholes arrived unfinished and a touch ragged) and the shirt’s large, soft collar, the only option, gets helplessly flummoxed under even a light blazer.
—Josh Condon, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2023
Slip drapery rings through the buttonholes and then slide the rings on the curtain rod, or use curtain ring clips to attach the shower curtain.
—Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2023
Bring the needle downward, and thread it through the opposite buttonhole and the shirt.
—Lara Sorokanich, Popular Mechanics, 8 Dec. 2020
Given the designs’ relative simplicity, every buttonhole and pocket angle is deeply considered.
—Kareem Rashed, Robb Report, 9 Nov. 2021
Available in plain white or three fun floral prints, this wraparound skirt ties high up on the waist, with a handy buttonhole that promises a secure fit.
—Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 23 Jan. 2023
Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
Getting buttonholed didn’t seem to bother Pence, either.
—T.a. Frank, Washington Post, 28 June 2023
Califf has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill to discuss President Biden’s budget request for the Food and Drug Administration, and the appearances give lawmakers a chance to buttonhole him on budget items as well as politically explosive issues that have nothing to do with the funding request.
—John Wilkerson, STAT, 19 Apr. 2023
The first time she was buttonholed by a consulting firm was freshman year.
—Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2023
Before the show, the accountants buttonholed stage managers Gary Natoli and John Esposito to clarify.
—Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2023
In March, when a vote on coronavirus aid was delayed several hours, Ms. Gillibrand used that time to meander from one senator’s hideaway office near the Senate floor to the next to buttonhole them on the issue.
—New York Times, 27 Apr. 2021
For days as the historic floor fight played out, Mr. McCarthy remained in his seat and dispatched allies to buttonhole the remaining holdouts privately.
—Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2023
Another time, the ambassador of Kosovo wanted to remind Mr. Trump of a summit request, and Mr. Ballard was able to buttonhole Mr. Trump at his club.
—Grace Ashford, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buttonhole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Phrases Containing buttonhole
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Cite this Entry
“Buttonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buttonhole. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
buttonhole
1 of 2 noun
buttonhole
2 of 2 verb
More from Merriam-Webster on buttonhole
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for buttonhole
Nglish: Translation of buttonhole for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of buttonhole for Arabic Speakers
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