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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

See Examples For:

butch Butch

With their flamboyant costumes and choreography, the group became a pop culture phenomenon, targeting disco's large gay audience with camp fantasy characters of butch builders, bikers, cowboys and soldiers.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

"My sexuality has no bearing on whether I look girly, or whether I'm butch or whatever I present myself to be," she said.

From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026

So, is it possible to butch up vegetables?

From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2024

I’ve come to appreciate through the years that butch identity is something to be honored and cherished.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 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

Remember that classic movie moment when Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid can escape capture or death only by jumping off a cliff into a fast-flowing river?

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

Popcorn and movies—as intertwined as Laurel and Hardy, Fred and Ginger, Butch and Sundance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

Barbara Butch -- her stage name -- was inundated by hateful messages after the Olympics opening ceremony in July last year.

From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025

“I despise them,” Councilman Butch Twining said of the white nationalists who disrupted the vigil.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2025

After dinner they went to see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a movie Ellsberg had seen several times and loved.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• manly
• masculine