holed

1. 1
   adjective

   Having one or more holes; pierced or worn through.

   The holed hull began taking on water within minutes.

   Archaeologists found a holed coin that had once been worn as a pendant.

   Similarpierced, perforated

   Oppositeintact, sound, whole

   Note

   An adjective that usually sits directly before its noun: a holed stone, a holed button, the holed cheese of Gruyère. Often the hole is a feature rather than damage. The button is made to be threaded with beads, and the stone is prized in Scott Cunningham's natural magic for its opening. It compares with more and most (more holed, most holed) rather than with -er and -est.

2. 2
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of hole.

   The iceberg holed the hull, and water poured into the lower decks.

   She holed her final putt to win the match.

   Note

   One regular -ed spelling serves both the past tense and the participle, and it carries very different actions. A ship holed by an iceberg has been pierced, while a golfer who has holed a putt has sunk the ball. Both readings work in the passive (the hull was holed; the putt was holed). In the passive it shades into the adjective "having holes", which shares the spelling.

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