1 hole
Pronounced:
/ˈhoʊl/
Function:
nounInflected forms:
plural holesMeaning:
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
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
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.
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.