pigeonhole
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.
pigeonholed
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past participleof pigeonhole.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof pigeonhole.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
pigeonholenounone of a series of small, open compartments, as in a desk, cabinet, or the like, used for filing or sorting papers, letters, etc.
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.
Steinem said that she was pigeonholed because of the story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
But one gets the sense that Thatcher’s worried about being pigeonholed.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
“I don’t want to be pigeonholed as the assassin.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Sometimes pigeonholed as just a goalscorer, Haaland has 24 assists in three seasons for Manchester City in the Premier League and Europe, compared with 26 at Bayern for Kane.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Jazz celebrity though he was, Duke Ellington disliked his music being pigeonholed as ‘jazz’; he preferred simply to call it ‘American music’, and he experimented in many forms and genres.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
