pigeonhole

[pij-uhn-hohl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pigeonhole ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

one of a series of small, open compartments, as in a desk, cabinet, or the like, used for filing or sorting papers, letters, etc.

a hole or recess, or one of a series of recesses, for pigeons to nest in.

Also called pigeon hole, white hole. Printing. white space created by setting words or lines too far apart.

verb (used with object), pi·geon·holed, pi·geon·hol·ing.

to assign to a definite place or to definite places in some orderly system: to pigeonhole new ideas.

to lay aside for use or reference at some later, indefinite time: We must pigeonhole this excellent plan until the time is ripe.

to put aside for the present, especially with the intention of ignoring or forgetting, often indefinitely: to pigeonhole an unwanted invitation.

to place in or as if in a pigeonhole or pigeonholes: to pigeonhole papers.

to fit or provide with pigeonholes: The desk must be pigeonholed for all my papers.

Origin of pigeonhole

First recorded in 1570–80; pigeon¹ + hole

Synonyms for pigeonhole

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pigeonhole ON THESAURUS.COM

4. categorize, catalog. 5. file. 6. postpone, shelve.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for pigeonhole

box, slot, niche, recess, section, nook, pocket, chamber, cranny, place, cubbyhole, corner, hole, stall, cubicle, carrel, sort, defer, sideline, group

Examples from the Web for pigeonhole

Contemporary Examples of pigeonhole

Did you every feel like Hollywood was trying to pigeonhole you as the token “hot” woman?
Alice Eve, the Beautiful New Trekkie, Talks ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’
Marlow Stern
May 18, 2013
In high school especially, kids often pigeonhole each other to make themselves feel better about their own differences.
Glee's Harmful Simplicity
Andy Dehnart
May 17, 2010
In any trial, he would be hard to pigeonhole and harder to control.
Maybe We Shouldn't Try KSM
Richard Miniter
March 5, 2010

Historical Examples of pigeonhole

He said coolly to the official who aroused him, 'Go to pigeonhole No.
How to Succeed
Orison Swett Marden
And reaching behind him into a pigeonhole he extracted an envelope, which he passed to me.
Desert Dust
Edwin L. Sabin
He belongs to no class, evades the label, and fits into no pigeonhole.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13
Elbert Hubbard
I could make a square or pigeonhole corner or lay out a brick footing.
One Way Out
William Carleton
But he went to his desk, and drew a long sheet of paper from a pigeonhole.
The Crisis, Complete
Winston Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for pigeonhole

pigeonhole

noun

a small compartment for papers, letters, etc, as in a bureau

a hole or recess in a dovecote for pigeons to nest in

informal a category or classification

verb (tr)

to put aside or defer

to classify or categorize, esp in a rigid manner

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