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
pigeonholed; pigeonholing; pigeonholes
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
Walter Mills2
: to assign to an often restrictive category : classify
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
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
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025
Ink’s been careful about building a team that could champion her country presence while not keeping her pigeonholed in any one genre.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
Samuels said the biggest challenges in the coming years will be to convince advertisers not to pigeonhole the company as a niche buy, especially given the Trump administration’s shameless bullying of corporate America on any activities focused on diversity, civil rights or equity considerations.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Apr. 2025
Ink’s been careful about building a team that could champion her country presence while not keeping her pigeonholed in any one genre.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Cite this Entry
“Pigeonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pigeonhole. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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 verb1
: to place in or as if in the pigeonhole of a desk
2
: to assign to a usually restrictive category
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share