butch
noun
butch
1 American
[booch]
/ bʊtʃ /
noun
-
Slang.
-
a woman or girl, especially one who is LGBTQ+, who embraces identity markers such as clothing, hairstyle, interests, or behaviors that are associated with traditional expressions of masculinity.
I settled down with a nice butch and am happily married
-
a gay man who embraces identity markers that are associated with normative expressions of masculinity.
-
any person who adopts a masculine appearance, manner, or persona.
-
-
Informal. butch haircut.
adjective
Butch
2
American
[booch]
/ bʊtʃ /
noun
butch
British
/ bʊtʃ /
adjective
noun
-
a lesbian who is noticeably masculine
-
a strong rugged man
Etymology
Origin of butch
First recorded in 1940–45; apparently from the proper name
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Over-the-top, camp and butch, with heavy makeup, big hair and large gestures, the season's most flamboyant, matron-like men put on their drawers to tread the boards and make everything go pear-shaped.
From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025
So, is it possible to butch up vegetables?
From Salon • Feb. 3, 2024
Roxane Gay: I read “Stone Butch Blues” when I was 17, and it was the first time I saw anything resembling butch identity.
From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2023
“We understood that what we had was a butch lesbian,” she said.
From Washington Post • Mar. 27, 2023
Yours sincerely, Dave Mitchell Now that I’m a free citizen again, I dig out my black sweater, look disgustedly at the butch haircut, and go out to mail my letter.
From It’s like this, cat by Neville, Emily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
