noun
- a small slit in a garment through which a button is passed to fasten it
- a flower worn in the buttonhole of a lapel
verb
- to detain someone in conversation, especially when they are trying to leave
Usage: informal
Examples
- The buttonhole on my shirt is too small for this button.
- She carefully sewed buttonholes along the front of the jacket.
- He wore a red carnation as a buttonhole at the wedding.
- The reporter tried to buttonhole the senator after the meeting.
- I was buttonholed by my neighbor for twenty minutes about his garden.
- The tailor made precise buttonholes with his sewing machine.
- A white rose buttonhole completed his formal attire.