pigeonhole

1 of 2

noun

pi·​geon·​hole ˈpi-jən-ˌhōl 

1

: a hole or small recess for pigeons to nest

2

: a small open compartment (as in a desk or cabinet) for keeping letters or documents

3

: a neat category which usually fails to reflect actual complexities

pigeonhole

2 of 2

verb

pigeonholed; pigeonholing; pigeonholes

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

pigeonholer

ˈpi-jən-ˌhō-lər 

noun

Examples of pigeonhole in a Sentence

Verb

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But the pigeonhole principle isn’t just for the birds. —Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025

Dover is a company made up of a portfolio of different end markets and should not be held to a data center pigeonhole. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2025

Verb

Her next albums were creatively daring and difficult to pigeonhole and did not reach the same level of mainstream success. —Hank Sanders, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Ang Lee pulled off that balance with supreme deftness in 1993; few individual sequences can be pigeonholed as either purely comedic or purely dramatic. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing pigeonhole

• put (someone) in a pigeonhole

Rhymes for pigeonhole

• amphibole
• asystole
• buttonhole
• casserole
• centriole
• decontrol
• glycerol
• metropole
• monopole
• multipole
• omeprazole
• oriole

Kids Definition

pigeonhole

1 of 2 noun

pi·​geon·​hole -ˌhōl 

: a small open compartment (as in a desk) for keeping letters or papers

pigeonhole

2 of 2 verb

1

: to place in or as if in the pigeonhole of a desk

2

: to assign to a usually restrictive category