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Showing results for buttonhole. Search instead for buttonholed.
Synonyms

buttonhole

American  
[buht-n-hohl] / ˈbʌt nˌhoʊl /

noun

  1. the hole, slit, or loop through which a button is passed and by which it is secured.

  2. Chiefly British. a boutonniere.

  3. Surgery. a short, straight incision through the wall of a cavity or a canal.

verb (used with object)

buttonholed, buttonholing

  1. to sew with a buttonhole stitch.

  2. to make buttonholes in.

  3. to hold by the buttonhole or otherwise abruptly detain (someone) in conversation.

    The reporter tried to buttonhole the mayor for a statement on the bus strike.
buttonhole British  
/ ˈbʌtənˌhəʊl /

noun

  1. a slit in a garment, etc, through which a button is passed to fasten two surfaces together

  2. US name: boutonniere.  a flower or small bunch of flowers worn pinned to the lapel or in the buttonhole, esp at weddings, formal dances, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to detain (a person) in conversation

  2. to make buttonholes in

  3. to sew with buttonhole stitch

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • buttonholer noun

Etymology

Origin of buttonhole

First recorded in 1555–65; button + hole

Vocabulary lists containing buttonhole

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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.

One I do buttonhole, Robert, a 14-year-old who's just been for a swim, says he loves his fatbike for the freedom it gives him but he has "kept it legal" and doesn't do "stupid" stuff.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

They have lunches, meet at conferences, buttonhole departmental women visitors, set up private Facebook pages and Slack channels, and are all over Twitter.

From Scientific American • Mar. 25, 2022

This opens the floor to everyone who has ideas — not just those with the loudest voices or the chutzpah to buttonhole leaders in passing to pitch their ideas.

From Washington Post • Mar. 24, 2022

And he added a personal touch to the museum: Among its collection was a coat with a buttonhole camera that he had worn while working under cover in Greece and Cyprus.

From New York Times • Feb. 19, 2022

When the light beam struck, the eye facing Palmer went from buttonhole slit to orange button; otherwise the bird did not move.

From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli

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.