1hole 
/ˈhoʊl/ noun
plural holes /ˈhoʊl/ noun 1 [count] : an opening into or through something
▪ I have a hole in my sock. ▪ He fixed the hole in the roof. ▪ a bullet hole ▪ make/poke/drill a hole ▪ a mouse hole in the wall 2 [count] a : a hollow place in the ground
▪ The dog dug a deep/shallow hole. — see also foxhole, swimming hole, water hole
b : a place in the ground where an animal lives
▪ a rabbit hole 3 [count] golf a : the cup into which the ball is hit
▪ Her putt rolled right into the hole.
b : one of the separate parts of a golf course that includes a tee and a green
▪ She made a birdie on the seventh hole. ▪ The course has 18 holes. 4 [count] : a flaw or weakness
▪ There are plenty of holes in the theory. ▪ There are a couple of holes in their defense. ▪ The police were unable to poke any holes in his story. [=to find evidence showing that his story was not true] — see also loophole 5 [singular] informal a : a difficult or embarrassing situation
▪ He's in trouble and needs someone to help get/dig him out of this hole. [=fix, jam] ▪ They found themselves in a hole, trailing by 10 points with not much time left in the game.
b US : the state of owing or losing money
▪ She gave them a loan to help get them out of their financial hole. [=debt] ▪ He was hundreds of dollars in the hole [=he owed hundreds of dollars] by the end of the night. 6 [count] — used to describe a situation in which someone or something is gone or missing ▪ When their daughter went to college, it left/made a big hole in their lives. [=they missed their daughter very much when she went to college] 7 informal a [count] : a dirty and unpleasant place
▪ I can't believe he lives there! It's such a hole! — see also hellhole
b the hole US : a prison cell where a prisoner who is being punished is kept alone
▪ He spent a month in the hole. [=(more formally) in solitary confinement] 8 [count] a baseball : an open area between two fielders
▪ He hit a grounder that went through the hole between the first and second basemen. ▪ He hit a sharp ground ball into the hole. [=the area between the shortstop and third baseman]
b American football : an open area between defenders that allows an offensive player to move the ball forward
▪ a running back skilled at finding holes
▪ I have a hole in my sock. ▪ He fixed the hole in the roof. ▪ a bullet hole ▪ make/poke/drill a hole ▪ a mouse hole in the wall
▪ The dog dug a deep/shallow hole. — see also foxhole, swimming hole, water hole
b : a place in the ground where an animal lives
▪ a rabbit hole
▪ Her putt rolled right into the hole.
b : one of the separate parts of a golf course that includes a tee and a green
▪ She made a birdie on the seventh hole. ▪ The course has 18 holes.
▪ There are plenty of holes in the theory. ▪ There are a couple of holes in their defense. ▪ The police were unable to poke any holes in his story. [=to find evidence showing that his story was not true] — see also loophole
▪ He's in trouble and needs someone to help get/dig him out of this hole. [=fix, jam] ▪ They found themselves in a hole, trailing by 10 points with not much time left in the game.
b US : the state of owing or losing money
▪ She gave them a loan to help get them out of their financial hole. [=debt] ▪ He was hundreds of dollars in the hole [=he owed hundreds of dollars] by the end of the night.
▪ I can't believe he lives there! It's such a hole! — see also hellhole
b the hole US : a prison cell where a prisoner who is being punished is kept alone
▪ He spent a month in the hole. [=(more formally) in solitary confinement]
▪ He hit a grounder that went through the hole between the first and second basemen. ▪ He hit a sharp ground ball into the hole. [=the area between the shortstop and third baseman]
b American football : an open area between defenders that allows an offensive player to move the ball forward
▪ a running back skilled at finding holes
an ace in the hole — see 1ace
like a hole in the head
informal ◊If you do not need something at all, you can say that you need it like a hole in the head.
▪ She already has too many shoes. She needs another pair like a hole in the head.
▪ She already has too many shoes. She needs another pair like a hole in the head.
punch holes in
informal : to weaken (an argument, idea, etc.) by proving that parts of it are wrong
▪ Lawyers tried to punch holes in her argument.
▪ Lawyers tried to punch holes in her argument.
