pigeonhole 1 of 2

verb

Definition of pigeonholenext
as in to categorize
disapproving to unfairly think of or describe (someone or something) as belonging to only a certain category She likes to perform different types of music because she doesn't want to be pigeonholed.

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pigeonhole

2 of 2

noun

as in cubbyhole

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pigeonhole
Verb
The press was not particularly kind in their attempt to pigeonhole him. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 June 2026 That way, you’re not pigeonholed into redeeming your rewards exclusively through Delta. — Sarah Hostetler, CNBC, 5 June 2026
Noun
Chen had hit upon a tantalizing hint that the link between the equality problem and the pigeonhole principle might also go the other way. — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 1 Dec. 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 See All Example Sentences for pigeonhole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pigeonhole
  1. categorize
  2. cubbyhole
  3. classify
  4. cubicle
  5. relegate
  6. compartment
  7. identify
  8. niche
Verb
  • Especially in a country like Japan, where learning can be quite rigid and everything is categorized or formatted.
    — Kalai Chik, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Other tequilas, categorized as mixtos, only have to contain 51 percent agave, with the other 49 percent made from other sweeteners like cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
    — Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of categorize
Noun
  • During the decades with Cox at the helm of the Braves, the smell of cigar smoke became familiar, wafting from the home dugout on early afternoons at old Fulton County Stadium or from a cubbyhole next to the home dugout at Turner Field.
    — David O'Brien, New York Times, 9 May 2026
  • How sweet the letters from Gita had been, arriving in his grad-school cubbyhole at Brooklyn Poly!
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026
Definition of cubbyhole
Verb
  • But the chief declined to classify the violence as gang-related at a community briefing on July 24, when reporters pressed her about whether the people involved belonged to rival gangs or families.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Many of the first big commercial systems, like AltaVista, Lycos, Excite, and HotBot, used crawlers and indexes to automatically map a growing web rather than relying on editors to hand-classify every site.
    — Alan Bradley, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of classify
Noun
  • Following the consolidation, the production capacity for Inpro’s shower curtains, cubicle curtains and roller shades was expected to increase, the company’s 2024 statement said.
    — Claire Harutunian, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Five years ago, a worker in Lindell’s position—seated in a cubicle in an office park 65 kilometers north of Malmö, Sweden, a zip-up in Ikea’s trademark yellow draped over her chair—would likely have been fielding much more basic calls from shoppers.
    — Claire Zillman, Fortune, 30 July 2026
Definition of cubicle
Verb
  • The community, however, be it club bookers or the kids themselves, relegated Ryan’s band to the edges of the scene.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The actor's limited screen time, primarily relegated to head-nodding and offering reassurance to Odysseus, has sparked memes on social media, including a Kratos spoof of her character.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of relegate
Noun
  • The ride swings like a pendulum, repeatedly turning thrill-seekers upside down while its passenger compartment spins.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Three roaches hid under a vacuum cleaner stored under the three-compartment sink.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of compartment
Verb
  • That partnership has already had a ripple effect, identifying targets who would have otherwise been undetected and resulting in indictments, like the case involving the 13 defendants.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Compare similar positions across different employers to identify patterns.
    — Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of identify
Noun
  • Like cannabis before it, microdosing has moved out of the corners of niche subculture into the wellness mainstream.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The technology might still be developing in some respects, but VR headsets now fill a large niche in the gaming world.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of niche

Browse Nearby Words

pigeon
pigeonhole
pigeonholed
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Cite this Entry

“Pigeonhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pigeonhole. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of pigeonhole for Spanish Speakers

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