What does "buttonhole" mean?
A hole through which a button is pushed to secure a garment or some part of one.
Buttonhole
/ˈbʌtənˌhoʊl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A hole through which a button is pushed to secure a garment or some part of one.
- Grammar: buttonhole is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: accost, accost, address, anus.
- Useful contrasts: close, dismiss, no opening.
- Usage evidence: He stuck a flower in his buttonhole.
How to use "buttonhole"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "buttonhole" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "buttonhole" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "buttonhole" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "buttonhole" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "buttonhole" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accost" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "buttonhole", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A hole through which a button is pushed to secure a garment or some part of one.
- 2 a hole through which buttons are pushed wordnet
- 3 A flower worn in a buttonhole for decoration. British
- 4 A flower worn in a buttonhole for decoration.; So shaped that it can be worn on a buttonhole or it is similar to a buttonhole. British, attributive
- 5 A small slot-like cut or incision, made for example by an accident with the scalpel.
"The usual cause of conjunctival buttonholes is penetration of the tissue by the tip of a sharp instrument […]"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 The mouth, nose or eyes of a tiny appearance.
- 7 vagina, coin slot. obsolete
- 8 The butthole (anus).
Verb
- 1 To detain (a person) in conversation against their will. colloquial, transitive
"He backed Mr. Lykins against an iron fence, buttonholed him, fastened him with his eye, like the ancient mariner, and proceeded to unfold his narrative as placidly and peacefully as if we were all stretched comfortably in a blossomy summer meadow instead of being persecuted by a wintry midnight tempest: […]"
- 2 detain in conversation by or as if by holding on to the outer garments of; as for political or economic favors wordnet
- 3 To cut one or more buttonholes (in). ambitransitive
- 4 To sew by buttonhole stitch. transitive
- 5 To make a small slot-like incision in (intentionally or unintentionally). archaic, transitive
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To apply a flowery formation in. rare, transitive
"What tree of more pulchritude and symmetricalness could you nominate for roadside, street and public park planting than the graceful linden? We should possess more of the spirit which predominates in this direction in the crowning gem of America’s constitutionality—the City of Washington, D. C. ‘‘Unter den Lindens’’ would not only be found in Germany, but in all the large cities of our grand and glorious United States. Washington has her Unter den Linden in the Massachussetts^([sic]) avenue. Her North and South Capital streets are buttonholed with the stately tulips, which are fit emblems to thus adorn the meridian of the United States."
- 7 To attain buttonhole-like formations on cutting. archaic, intransitive, rare
"Furze cut it himself after his dinner, with great care and concentrated solemnity, finding the loaf rather too new and the knife too blunt for the carving of slices of ideal thinness. The beastly things would buttonhole!"
Example
"He stuck a flower in his buttonhole."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "buttonhole"?
Common synonyms include: accost, accost, address, anus, aperture, apostrophize.
How do you use "buttonhole" in a sentence?
He stuck a flower in his buttonhole.
How do you pronounce "buttonhole"?
Pronounced /ˈbʌtənˌhoʊl/.
Etymology
Originally buttonhold (“a loop of string to hold a button down”), but changed by folk etymology by influence of hole, By surface analysis, button + hole.