"pigeonhole" meaning in English

See pigeonhole in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: en-us-pigeonhole.ogg [US] Forms: pigeonholes [plural]
Etymology: pigeon + hole. Originally literal hole for pigeons, later similar compartments for papers, then extended metaphorically in verb sense of narrowly categorizing or deferring. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|pigeon|hole}} pigeon + hole Head templates: {{en-noun}} pigeonhole (plural pigeonholes)
  1. One of an array of compartments for housing pigeons in a pigeon loft (dovecote).
    Sense id: en-pigeonhole-en-noun-en:compartment_for_pigeons Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 34 11 12 4 1 18 19
  2. (by extension) One of an array of compartments for receiving mail and other messages at a college, office, etc. Tags: broadly
    Sense id: en-pigeonhole-en-noun-en:compartment_for_mail
  3. One of an array of compartments for storing scrolls at a library.
    Sense id: en-pigeonhole-en-noun-en:compartment_for_scrolls
  4. A similar compartment in a desk, used for sorting and storing papers.
    Sense id: en-pigeonhole-en-noun-en:compartment_for_storing_paper
  5. (figurative) A category. Tags: figuratively Translations (category — see also category): Schublade [feminine] (German)
    Sense id: en-pigeonhole-en-noun-en:figuratively:_category Disambiguation of 'category — see also category': 15 5 5 1 74
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: pigeon-hole, pigeon hole Translations (one of an array of compartments for mail): 分類架 (Chinese Mandarin), 分类架 (fēnlèijià) (Chinese Mandarin), 文件架 (wénjiànjià) (Chinese Mandarin), [poštovní] přihrádka [feminine] (Czech), vak [neuter] (Dutch), lokero (Finnish), Fach [neuter] (German), γραμματοθυρίδα (grammatothyrída) [feminine] (Greek), θυρίδα (thyrída) [feminine] (Greek), casellario [masculine] (Italian), преграда (pregrada) [feminine] (Macedonian), чекмеџе (čekmedže) [neuter] (Macedonian), фах (fah) [masculine] (Macedonian), escaninho [masculine] (Portuguese), отделе́ние для бума́г (otdelénije dlja bumág) [neuter] (Russian), casilla [feminine] (Spanish), casillero [masculine] (Spanish), fack (Swedish) Translations (one of an array of compartments for pigeons): 鴿棚 (Chinese Mandarin), 鸽棚 (gēpéng) (Chinese Mandarin), duivenhok [neuter] (Dutch), duiventil [feminine] (Dutch), kyyhkyslakka (Finnish), περιστερώνας (peristerónas) [masculine] (Greek), piccionaia [feminine] (Italian), гулабарник (gulabarnik) [masculine] (Macedonian), голуби́ное гнездо́ (golubínoje gnezdó) [neuter] (Russian)
Disambiguation of 'one of an array of compartments for mail': 33 33 31 2 0 Disambiguation of 'one of an array of compartments for pigeons': 36 30 31 3 0

Verb

Audio: en-us-pigeonhole.ogg [US] Forms: pigeonholes [present, singular, third-person], pigeonholing [participle, present], pigeonholed [participle, past], pigeonholed [past]
Etymology: pigeon + hole. Originally literal hole for pigeons, later similar compartments for papers, then extended metaphorically in verb sense of narrowly categorizing or deferring. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|pigeon|hole}} pigeon + hole Head templates: {{en-verb}} pigeonhole (third-person singular simple present pigeonholes, present participle pigeonholing, simple past and past participle pigeonholed)
  1. To categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc. Translations (to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc): encasellar (Catalan), hokjesdenken (Dutch), lokeroida (Finnish), luokitella (Finnish), cataloguer (French), ranger dans une case (French), in eine Schublade stecken (German), beskatulyáz (Hungarian), classificare (Italian), etichettare (Italian), 決めつける (kimetsukeru) (Japanese), вбројува (vbrojuva) (Macedonian), rotular (Portuguese), encasillar (Spanish), placera i ett fack (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-pigeonhole-en-verb-4jmtSgto Disambiguation of 'to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc': 97 3
  2. To put aside, to not act on (proposals, suggestions, advice). Synonyms: mothball, shelve, table, glove box
    Sense id: en-pigeonhole-en-verb-sZUhgN4S
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: pigeon-hole, pigeon hole Derived forms: pidge Related terms: pigeonhole principle, pigeonholeable, pigeonholer, cubbyhole, put someone in a box

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for pigeonhole meaning in English (14.3kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pigeon",
        "3": "hole"
      },
      "expansion": "pigeon + hole",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "pigeon + hole. Originally literal hole for pigeons, later similar compartments for papers, then extended metaphorically in verb sense of narrowly categorizing or deferring.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pigeonholes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "pigeonhole (plural pigeonholes)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "34 11 12 4 1 18 19",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One of an array of compartments for housing pigeons in a pigeon loft (dovecote)."
      ],
      "id": "en-pigeonhole-en-noun-en:compartment_for_pigeons",
      "links": [
        [
          "array",
          "array"
        ],
        [
          "compartment",
          "compartment"
        ],
        [
          "housing",
          "housing"
        ],
        [
          "pigeon",
          "pigeon"
        ],
        [
          "pigeon loft",
          "pigeon loft"
        ]
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:compartment for pigeons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Fred was disappointed to find his pigeonhole empty except for bills and a flyer offering 20% off on manicures.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One of an array of compartments for receiving mail and other messages at a college, office, etc."
      ],
      "id": "en-pigeonhole-en-noun-en:compartment_for_mail",
      "links": [
        [
          "array",
          "array"
        ],
        [
          "compartment",
          "compartment"
        ],
        [
          "receiving",
          "receiving"
        ],
        [
          "mail",
          "mail"
        ],
        [
          "other",
          "other"
        ],
        [
          "message",
          "message"
        ],
        [
          "college",
          "college"
        ],
        [
          "office",
          "office"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(by extension) One of an array of compartments for receiving mail and other messages at a college, office, etc."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:compartment for mail"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "One of an array of compartments for storing scrolls at a library."
      ],
      "id": "en-pigeonhole-en-noun-en:compartment_for_scrolls",
      "links": [
        [
          "array",
          "array"
        ],
        [
          "compartment",
          "compartment"
        ],
        [
          "storing",
          "storing"
        ],
        [
          "scroll",
          "scroll"
        ],
        [
          "library",
          "library"
        ]
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:compartment for scrolls"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A similar compartment in a desk, used for sorting and storing papers."
      ],
      "id": "en-pigeonhole-en-noun-en:compartment_for_storing_paper",
      "links": [
        [
          "similar",
          "similar"
        ],
        [
          "compartment",
          "compartment"
        ],
        [
          "desk",
          "desk"
        ],
        [
          "use",
          "use"
        ],
        [
          "sort",
          "sort"
        ],
        [
          "storing",
          "storing"
        ],
        [
          "paper",
          "paper"
        ]
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:compartment for storing paper"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2007 September 7, David Mills, “Do we need to keep the Beats in their box?”, in The Guardian",
          "text": "The Beat writers had very different styles and disliked the invented term and pigeonhole forced upon them.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2018 May 4, Kaite Welsh, “'Single women fiction': how a genre went from subversive to sad”, in The Guardian",
          "text": "Amazon’s new pigeonhole for books about unmarried females is far more old-fashioned than the ‘New Woman novel’ tag deployed in the 19th century",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A category."
      ],
      "id": "en-pigeonhole-en-noun-en:figuratively:_category",
      "links": [
        [
          "category",
          "category"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) A category."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:figuratively: category"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "15 5 5 1 74",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "category — see also category",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Schublade"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-us-pigeonhole.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/47/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
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      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "pigeon-hole"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "pigeon hole"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "_dis1": "36 30 31 3 0",
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "word": "鴿棚"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 30 31 3 0",
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "gēpéng",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "word": "鸽棚"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 30 31 3 0",
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "duivenhok"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 30 31 3 0",
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "duiventil"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 30 31 3 0",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "word": "kyyhkyslakka"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 30 31 3 0",
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "peristerónas",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "περιστερώνας"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 30 31 3 0",
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "piccionaia"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 30 31 3 0",
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "gulabarnik",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "гулабарник"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "36 30 31 3 0",
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "golubínoje gnezdó",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "голуби́ное гнездо́"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "word": "分類架"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "fēnlèijià",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "word": "分类架"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "wénjiànjià",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "word": "文件架"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "[poštovní] přihrádka"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "vak"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "word": "lokero"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Fach"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "grammatothyrída",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "γραμματοθυρίδα"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "thyrída",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "θυρίδα"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "casellario"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "pregrada",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "преграда"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "čekmedže",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "чекмеџе"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "fah",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "фах"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "escaninho"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "otdelénije dlja bumág",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "отделе́ние для бума́г"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "casilla"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "casillero"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "33 33 31 2 0",
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "word": "fack"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pigeonhole"
}

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "pidge"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pigeon",
        "3": "hole"
      },
      "expansion": "pigeon + hole",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "pigeon + hole. Originally literal hole for pigeons, later similar compartments for papers, then extended metaphorically in verb sense of narrowly categorizing or deferring.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pigeonholes",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pigeonholing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pigeonholed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pigeonholed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "pigeonhole (third-person singular simple present pigeonholes, present participle pigeonholing, simple past and past participle pigeonholed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "pigeonhole principle"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "pigeonholeable"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "pigeonholer"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "cubbyhole"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "put someone in a box"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Fred was tired of being pigeonholed as a computer geek.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2000, Eminem (lyrics and music), “The Way I Am”",
          "text": "I'm not gonna be able, to top on My Name Is / And pigeonholed into some poppy sensation",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 June 28, Nick Reilly, “Meet eee gee, the singer who refuses to put her music in one box”, in Rolling Stone UK",
          "text": "The singer, real name Emma Grankvist, deals in whip-smart lyrics and striking melodies that offer a refreshing perspective on the world around her, all wrapped up in a package that’s brilliantly tough to pigeonhole.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc."
      ],
      "id": "en-pigeonhole-en-verb-4jmtSgto",
      "links": [
        [
          "categorize",
          "categorize"
        ],
        [
          "role",
          "role"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "encasellar"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "hokjesdenken"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "lokeroida"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "luokitella"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "cataloguer"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "ranger dans une case"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "in eine Schublade stecken"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "beskatulyáz"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "classificare"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "etichettare"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "kimetsukeru",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "決めつける"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "vbrojuva",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "вбројува"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "rotular"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "encasillar"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 3",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
          "word": "placera i ett fack"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1910, Angus Hamilton, Herbert Henry Austin, Masatake Terauchi, Korea: Its History, Its People, and Its Commerce, page 294",
          "text": "These laws were not carried into effect: they were pigeon-holed.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1917, “The Looking Glass: Election laws in Southern California”, in The Crisis, number 11, page 29",
          "text": "[…] vociferously declared that they had the evidence. But no one prosecutes. No one swears out a warrant. The evidence is pigeonholed.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Edward Sidlow, Beth Henschen, America at Odds, page 251",
          "text": "Alternatively, the chairperson may decide to put the bill aside and ignore it. Most bills that are pigeonholed in this manner receive no further action.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To put aside, to not act on (proposals, suggestions, advice)."
      ],
      "id": "en-pigeonhole-en-verb-sZUhgN4S",
      "links": [
        [
          "put aside",
          "put aside"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "mothball"
        },
        {
          "word": "shelve"
        },
        {
          "word": "table"
        },
        {
          "word": "glove box"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-us-pigeonhole.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/47/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "pigeon-hole"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "pigeon hole"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pigeonhole"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pigeon",
        "3": "hole"
      },
      "expansion": "pigeon + hole",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "pigeon + hole. Originally literal hole for pigeons, later similar compartments for papers, then extended metaphorically in verb sense of narrowly categorizing or deferring.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pigeonholes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "pigeonhole (plural pigeonholes)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "One of an array of compartments for housing pigeons in a pigeon loft (dovecote)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "array",
          "array"
        ],
        [
          "compartment",
          "compartment"
        ],
        [
          "housing",
          "housing"
        ],
        [
          "pigeon",
          "pigeon"
        ],
        [
          "pigeon loft",
          "pigeon loft"
        ]
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:compartment for pigeons"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Fred was disappointed to find his pigeonhole empty except for bills and a flyer offering 20% off on manicures.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One of an array of compartments for receiving mail and other messages at a college, office, etc."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "array",
          "array"
        ],
        [
          "compartment",
          "compartment"
        ],
        [
          "receiving",
          "receiving"
        ],
        [
          "mail",
          "mail"
        ],
        [
          "other",
          "other"
        ],
        [
          "message",
          "message"
        ],
        [
          "college",
          "college"
        ],
        [
          "office",
          "office"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(by extension) One of an array of compartments for receiving mail and other messages at a college, office, etc."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:compartment for mail"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "One of an array of compartments for storing scrolls at a library."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "array",
          "array"
        ],
        [
          "compartment",
          "compartment"
        ],
        [
          "storing",
          "storing"
        ],
        [
          "scroll",
          "scroll"
        ],
        [
          "library",
          "library"
        ]
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:compartment for scrolls"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A similar compartment in a desk, used for sorting and storing papers."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "similar",
          "similar"
        ],
        [
          "compartment",
          "compartment"
        ],
        [
          "desk",
          "desk"
        ],
        [
          "use",
          "use"
        ],
        [
          "sort",
          "sort"
        ],
        [
          "storing",
          "storing"
        ],
        [
          "paper",
          "paper"
        ]
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:compartment for storing paper"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2007 September 7, David Mills, “Do we need to keep the Beats in their box?”, in The Guardian",
          "text": "The Beat writers had very different styles and disliked the invented term and pigeonhole forced upon them.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2018 May 4, Kaite Welsh, “'Single women fiction': how a genre went from subversive to sad”, in The Guardian",
          "text": "Amazon’s new pigeonhole for books about unmarried females is far more old-fashioned than the ‘New Woman novel’ tag deployed in the 19th century",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A category."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "category",
          "category"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) A category."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:figuratively: category"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-us-pigeonhole.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/47/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "pigeon-hole"
    },
    {
      "word": "pigeon hole"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "word": "鴿棚"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "gēpéng",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "word": "鸽棚"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "duivenhok"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "duiventil"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "word": "kyyhkyslakka"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "peristerónas",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "περιστερώνας"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "piccionaia"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "gulabarnik",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "гулабарник"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "golubínoje gnezdó",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for pigeons",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "голуби́ное гнездо́"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "word": "分類架"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "fēnlèijià",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "word": "分类架"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "wénjiànjià",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "word": "文件架"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "[poštovní] přihrádka"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "vak"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "word": "lokero"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Fach"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "grammatothyrída",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "γραμματοθυρίδα"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "thyrída",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "θυρίδα"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "casellario"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "pregrada",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "преграда"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "čekmedže",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "чекмеџе"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "fah",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "фах"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "escaninho"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "otdelénije dlja bumág",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "отделе́ние для бума́г"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "casilla"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "casillero"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "one of an array of compartments for mail",
      "word": "fack"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "category — see also category",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Schublade"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pigeonhole"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "pidge"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pigeon",
        "3": "hole"
      },
      "expansion": "pigeon + hole",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "pigeon + hole. Originally literal hole for pigeons, later similar compartments for papers, then extended metaphorically in verb sense of narrowly categorizing or deferring.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pigeonholes",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pigeonholing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pigeonholed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pigeonholed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "pigeonhole (third-person singular simple present pigeonholes, present participle pigeonholing, simple past and past participle pigeonholed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "pigeonhole principle"
    },
    {
      "word": "pigeonholeable"
    },
    {
      "word": "pigeonholer"
    },
    {
      "word": "cubbyhole"
    },
    {
      "word": "put someone in a box"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Fred was tired of being pigeonholed as a computer geek.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2000, Eminem (lyrics and music), “The Way I Am”",
          "text": "I'm not gonna be able, to top on My Name Is / And pigeonholed into some poppy sensation",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 June 28, Nick Reilly, “Meet eee gee, the singer who refuses to put her music in one box”, in Rolling Stone UK",
          "text": "The singer, real name Emma Grankvist, deals in whip-smart lyrics and striking melodies that offer a refreshing perspective on the world around her, all wrapped up in a package that’s brilliantly tough to pigeonhole.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "categorize",
          "categorize"
        ],
        [
          "role",
          "role"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1910, Angus Hamilton, Herbert Henry Austin, Masatake Terauchi, Korea: Its History, Its People, and Its Commerce, page 294",
          "text": "These laws were not carried into effect: they were pigeon-holed.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1917, “The Looking Glass: Election laws in Southern California”, in The Crisis, number 11, page 29",
          "text": "[…] vociferously declared that they had the evidence. But no one prosecutes. No one swears out a warrant. The evidence is pigeonholed.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Edward Sidlow, Beth Henschen, America at Odds, page 251",
          "text": "Alternatively, the chairperson may decide to put the bill aside and ignore it. Most bills that are pigeonholed in this manner receive no further action.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To put aside, to not act on (proposals, suggestions, advice)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "put aside",
          "put aside"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "mothball"
        },
        {
          "word": "shelve"
        },
        {
          "word": "table"
        },
        {
          "word": "glove box"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-us-pigeonhole.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/47/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/En-us-pigeonhole.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "pigeon-hole"
    },
    {
      "word": "pigeon hole"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "encasellar"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "hokjesdenken"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "lokeroida"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "luokitella"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "cataloguer"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "ranger dans une case"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "in eine Schublade stecken"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "beskatulyáz"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "classificare"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "etichettare"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "kimetsukeru",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "決めつける"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "vbrojuva",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "вбројува"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "rotular"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "encasillar"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "to categorize; especially to limit or be limited to a particular category, role, etc",
      "word": "placera i ett fack"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pigeonhole"
}
{
  "called_from": "translations/611",
  "msg": "suspicious translation with '[': {'lang': 'Czech', 'code': 'cs', 'sense': 'one of an array of compartments for mail', 'tags': ['feminine'], 'word': '[poštovní] přihrádka'}",
  "path": [
    "pigeonhole"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "noun",
  "title": "pigeonhole",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.