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• butch
  butch

  noun
• Butch
  Butch

  noun

  a male given name.

butch

¹ American  

[booch] / bʊtʃ /

noun

1. Slang.

   1. 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

   2. a gay man who embraces identity markers that are associated with normative expressions of masculinity.

   3. any person who adopts a masculine appearance, manner, or persona.

2. Informal. butch haircut.

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adjective

1. Slang.

   1. (of a girl or woman, especially one who is LGBTQ+) having identity markers usually associated with traditional expressions of masculinity.

      This shirt brand is very popular with my butch lesbian friends.

   2. (of a boy or man) decidedly masculine in manner or appearance.

Butch ² American  

[booch] / bʊtʃ /

noun

1. a male given name.

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butch British  

/ bʊtʃ /

adjective

1. (of a woman or man) markedly or aggressively masculine

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noun

1. a lesbian who is noticeably masculine

2. a strong rugged man

Etymology

Origin of butch

First recorded in 1940–45; apparently from the proper name

Example Sentences

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

There wasn’t appreciation at the time for the old gay community, especially the butch femme community, where many butches passed as men to save their lives and be who they were with their partners.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2023

“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. 23, 2023

Besides I shouted so las’ dight that I cudd’t talk butch eddy how!”

From Within Prison Walls being a narrative during a week of voluntary confinement in the state prison at Auburn, New York by Osborne, Thomas Mott

Related Words

• manly
• masculine