hole

SayHOHL/hoʊl/UK/həʊl//hɐʉl/

Pluralholes

Verbholes, holing, holed

Often confused with whole

24 meanings of hole

Practice

1
openingnouncountable
An opening that goes all the way through something.
Like the gap in the middle of a donut.
There's a hole in my sock.
He made a hole in the wall to run the cable.
UsageSay a hole in something: a hole in your shoe.
Similaropening, gap, perforation, puncture, tear
Note
2
hollow spacenouncountable
A hollow or dug-out space in a surface, like a pit or dent.
Like the empty space left when you scoop ice cream out of a tub.
The dog dug a deep hole in the backyard.
We filled the holes in the road with gravel.
UsageYou dig a hole and fill it in.
Similarpit, hollow, cavity, depression, crater
Note
3
golf course sectionnouncountable
In golf, one part of the course that you play from the start until the ball drops in.
She won the first hole by two strokes.
They played nine holes before the rain started.
UsageSay play nine holes or on the last hole.
Note
4
flawnounfigurativelycountable
A weak point or mistake in an idea, plan, or computer system that makes it fail or open to attack.
Like a gap in a fence that lets the dog get out.
The lawyer found a hole in the other side's argument.
There are too many holes in his story to believe it.
UsageSay a hole in a plan or story.
Similarflaw, weakness, gap, defect
Oppositestrength
Note
5
debtnounfigurativelycountable
A bad situation, especially being in debt or owing a lot of money.
Like a deep pit you cannot climb out of by yourself.
After months of overspending, the family found themselves in a deep hole.
It took years to climb out of the hole left by the failed business.
UsageSay you are in a hole, and try to climb out of it.
Similarfix, jam, bind, mess, predicament
Note
6
nouncountable
An empty space left when someone or something is missing, for example in a plan, a team, or your life.
When Grandpa died, it left a hole in our family that nobody could fill.
I have a hole in my schedule on Thursday, so we could meet then.
UsageA loss leaves a hole, and you try to fill it.
Similargap, void, vacuum
Note
7
pierceverbtransitive
To make a hole or holes in something.
Like poking a pencil through a sheet of paper.
Bullets had holed the old road sign in several places.
Sharp rocks can hole the bottom of a small boat.
Similarpierce, puncture, perforate, breach
Oppositepatch, plug, seal
Note

Less common meanings

8
nouncountable
In golf, the small cup in the ground that players try to hit the ball into.
Like a small cup buried in the grass that the ball drops into.
She sank the ball into the hole with one putt.
The little ball stopped right at the edge of the hole.
Similarcup
Note
9
nounslangcountable
A dirty, unpleasant place where someone lives or stays.
Like a dirty old room nobody ever wants to visit.
I can't believe you live in this hole.
The motel was a real hole, with broken windows everywhere.
Similardump, dive, hovel, pit, sty
Note
10
verbintransitive
To move or hide inside a hole.
Like a mouse darting into its hole to hide.
Snakes hole up under rocks on the hottest days.
The frightened mouse holed up in its nest under the floorboards.
UsageMostly hole up: stay hidden somewhere.
Similarburrow, hide, shelter
Oppositeemerge
Note
11
solitary cellnouncolloquialcountablewith the
A special prison cell where a prisoner is kept alone as punishment.
Like being locked alone in a tiny room with no one to talk to.
The guards threw him in the hole for starting a fight.
She spent two weeks in the hole after the escape attempt.
UsageSay sent to the hole.
Similarbox
12
anusnounslangvulgarcountable
A rude word for an opening in the body, especially the anus.
That spicy curry made his hole burn all the next morning.
"Stick it up your hole," he shouted, and walked away.
Similaranus
Note
13
verbtransitive
To hit or drive a ball into a hole, or chase an animal into one.
Like rolling a marble straight into a cup.
She holed the putt from across the green.
He needs to hole this shot to win the match.
UsageSay hole a putt.
Similarsink, pot, drop
Oppositemiss
Note
14
missing electronnouncountable
An empty spot in a material where an electron is missing, acting like a positive charge.
Like an empty seat in a row that seems to move forward as each person shifts over to fill it.
When an electron jumps away, it leaves behind a hole.
A hole moves through the material as nearby electrons shift over.
Note
15
baseball infieldnouncountable
In baseball, the gap on the field between the shortstop and the third baseman.
Like the open space between two guards standing apart, where someone can slip past.
The batter hit a sharp grounder into the hole.
The shortstop ranged far to his right to field the ball in the hole.
Note
16
face-down cardnouncountable
In card games, a card dealt face down so only its holder can see it.
Like a secret card you keep facedown so no one else knows what you have.
She kept a straight face with two queens in the hole.
He peeked at his card in the hole and smiled.
UsageAn ace in the hole also means a secret advantage.
Note
17
mouthnounslangderogatorycountable
A rude slang word for a person's mouth.
Shut your hole and listen for once!
He wouldn't keep his hole shut during the movie.
UsageMostly in shut your hole, which is rude.
Similartrap, mouth, gob, yap
Note
18
mountain valleynounhistoricalCanadaUScountable
A small valley shut in by mountains.
Like a flat, sheltered pocket of land tucked between tall hills.
The trappers wintered in a sheltered hole high in the Rockies.
Their cabin sat at the bottom of a quiet hole between two ridges.
Similarvalley, basin, hollow, vale
Note
19
vaginanounvulgardialectalIrelandScotlandcountable
A rude word for the vagina.
She joked that having twins had wrecked her hole.
She moaned that the smear test had left her hole sore.
Similarvagina
20
wreckverbtransitive
To break or wreck something so badly that it is ruined.
That one bad review holed the new restaurant below the waterline.
Losing their star player could hole the team's season below the waterline.
UsageOften hole something below the waterline, like a ship.
Similarsink, torpedo, wreck, ruin, scuttle
Note
21
chess weaknessnouncountable
In chess, a square that one side can never guard with a pawn, leaving it weak.
Like a weak spot you can never cover, so someone else can sit there safely.
The knight settled into the hole on d5, where no pawn could chase it.
Black created a hole in front of the king by pushing too many pawns.
Similarweakness
Note
22
rail sidingnounslangcountable
On a single-track railway, a short side track where one train waits so another can pass.
Like a small space at the side of a narrow road where one car waits to let another pass.
The freight train pulled into the hole to let the express go by.
Our train waited in the hole while the express rushed past.
Similarsiding, loop
Note
23
graph cyclenouncountable
In math, a loop of four or more points in a network with no shortcut links across it.
Like a ring of people holding hands where no one reaches across to hold a far-off hand.
In a graph, six points in a ring with no shortcuts form a hole.
A square with no diagonal lines is the smallest possible hole in a graph.
Note
24
nouncountable
In a court game called fives, one part of the floor, next to the step.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of hole apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English hol, meaning a hollow place or opening. Its deeper origin is uncertain.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Hole derives from Old English hol. en.wiktionary.org
Old English hol meant a hollow place or opening. en.wiktionary.org
The word's ultimate origin is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org