hole
[noun]
Synonyms:
- opening, aperture, breach, crack, fissure, gap, orifice, perforation, puncture, tear, vent
- cavity, cave, cavern, chamber, hollow, pit
- burrow, den, earth, lair, shelter
- hovel, dive (slang), dump (informal), slum
- predicament, dilemma, fix (informal), hot water (informal), jam (informal), mess, scrape (informal), spot (informal), tight spot

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Related Words: gap, hiatus, lacuna, cranny, interstice, niche, fissure, rent, rift, vacancy, vacuum

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English Thesaurus: break, smash, shatter, crack, burst, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. hole¹ S1 W2 /həʊl $ hoʊl/ noun [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: hol]

1. SPACE IN SOMETHING SOLID an empty space in something solid
hole in
There was a huge hole in the road.
I began digging a hole for the plant.
► Do not say there is a hole 'on' something. Say there is a hole in something.

2. SPACE SOMETHING CAN GO THROUGH a space in something solid that allows light or things to pass through
hole in
They climbed through a hole in the fence.
These socks are full of holes.
bullet holes (=made by bullets)

3. EMPTY PLACE a place where someone or something should be, but is missing
hole in
Their departure will leave a gaping hole in Grand Prix racing.

4. WEAK PART a weak part or fault in something such as an idea or plan:
The theory is full of holes.
hole in
If you have holes in your game, work on them.

5. ANIMAL’S HOME the home of a small animal:
a rabbit hole

6. UNPLEASANT PLACE informal an unpleasant place:
I’ve got to get out of this hole.

7. GOLF
a) a hole in the ground that you try to get the ball into in the game of golf
b) one part of a golf course with this kind of hole at one end

8. hole in one when someone hits the ball in golf from the starting place into the hole with only one hit

9. make a hole in something informal to use a large part of an amount of money, food etc:
Holidays can make a big hole in your savings.

10. be in a hole informal to be in a difficult situation

11. be in the hole American English spoken to owe money:
I was something like $16,000 in the hole already.

12. need/want something like a hole in the head spoken used to say that you definitely do not need or want something:
I need this conversation like a hole in the head.
⇒ ace in the hole at ace¹(7), ⇒ black hole, ⇒ square peg in a round hole at square¹(12), ⇒ watering hole

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. hole² verb

1. [intransitive and transitive] to hit the ball into a hole in golf:
He holed the putt with ease.

2. be holed if a ship is holed, something makes a hole in it
hole out phrasal verb
to hit the ball into a hole in golf
hole up (also be holed up) phrasal verb informal
to hide somewhere for a period of time
hole up in/with/at
The gunmen are still holed up in the town.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

hole
noun
ADJ. big, deep, gaping, great, huge, large, massive, yawning | small, tiny | circular, round | jagged, ragged The missile had torn a jagged hole in the side of the ship.
neat | bullet The wall was full of bullet holes.
mouse, rabbit, etc.
VERB + HOLE bore, break, cut, dig, drill, make, punch, tear, wear We dug a deep hole to bury the animals in. She punched two holes in each sheet of paper. He had worn a hole in the knees of his trousers.
fill (in), plug I uprooted the tree and filled the hole with earth. We used cement to plug the holes.
PREP. down a/the ~ The snake disappeared down a hole.
in a/the ~ There was water in the hole.
through a/the ~ We climbed through the hole.
~ in I used a skewer to make an extra hole in my belt.
PHRASES full of holes The old blankets were now full of holes.
riddled with holes The car was riddled with bullet holes.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

hole
noun
BAD: He didn't want us to see the hole on his sock.
GOOD: He didn't want us to see the hole in his sock.
BAD: The yacht hit the side of the ferry and made a hole in it.
GOOD: The yacht hit the side of the ferry and made a hole in it.

Usage Note:
(make) a hole in sth (NOT on ): 'The bucket had a hole in the bottom.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

break verb [intransitive] to become damaged and separate into pieces:
Plastic breaks quite easily.
smash verb [intransitive] to break after being hit with a lot of force:
The bowl smashed as it hit the floor.
shatter verb [intransitive] to break into a lot of small pieces:
The glass shattered all over the pavement.
crack verb [intransitive] if something cracks, a line appears on the surface, which means that it could later break into separate pieces:
The ice was starting to crack.
burst verb [intransitive] if a tyre, balloon, pipe etc bursts, it gets a hole and air or liquid suddenly comes out of it:
She blew up the balloon until it burst.
split verb [intransitive] to break in a straight line:
The damp had caused the wood to split.
crumble verb [intransitive] to break into a powder or a lot of small pieces:
The cork just crumbled in my hand.
hole an empty space in the surface of something, which sometimes goes all the way through it:
A fox had dug a hole under our fence.
Rain was coming in through a hole in the roof.
space an empty area between two things, into which you can put something:
Are there any empty spaces on the bookshelf?
a parking space
gap an empty area between two things or two parts of something, especially one that should not be there:
He has a gap between his two front teeth.
I squeezed through a gap in the hedge.
opening a hole that something can pass through or that you can see through, especially at the entrance of something:
The train disappeared into the dark opening of the tunnel.
I looked through the narrow opening in the wall.
leak a small hole where something has been damaged or broken that lets liquid or gas flow in or out:
a leak in the pipe
The plumber's coming to repair the leak.
puncture especially British English a small hole in a tyre through which air escapes:
My bike's got a puncture.
slot a straight narrow hole that you put a particular type of object into:
You have to put a coin in the slot before you dial the number.
A small disk fits into a slot in the camera.
crater a round hole in the ground made by an explosion or by a large object hitting it hard:
a volcanic crater
The meteor left a crater over five miles wide.
the craters on the moon

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hole an empty space in the surface of something, which sometimes goes all the way through it:
A fox had dug a hole under our fence.
Rain was coming in through a hole in the roof.
space an empty area between two things, into which you can put something:
Are there any empty spaces on the bookshelf?
a parking space
gap an empty area between two things or two parts of something, especially one that should not be there:
He has a gap between his two front teeth.
I squeezed through a gap in the hedge.
opening a hole that something can pass through or that you can see through, especially at the entrance of something:
The train disappeared into the dark opening of the tunnel.
I looked through the narrow opening in the wall.
leak a small hole where something has been damaged or broken that lets liquid or gas flow in or out:
a leak in the pipe
The plumber's coming to repair the leak.
puncture especially British English a small hole in a tyre through which air escapes:
My bike's got a puncture.
crack a very narrow space between two things or two parts of something:
The snake slid into a crack in the rock.
She was peering through the crack in the curtains.
slot a straight narrow hole that you put a particular type of object into:
You have to put a coin in the slot before you dial the number.
A small disk fits into a slot in the camera.
crater a round hole in the ground made by an explosion or by a large object hitting it hard:
a volcanic crater
The meteor left a crater over five miles wide.
the craters on the moon
make a hole in something to cause a hole to appear in something:
Make a hole in the bottom of the can using a hammer and nail.
pierce to make a small hole in or through something, using a pointed object:
The dog's teeth had pierced her skin.
Shelley wanted to have her ears pierced (=for earrings).
prick to make a very small hole in the surface of something, using a pointed object:
Prick the potatoes before baking them.
My finger was bleeding where the needle had pricked it.
punch to make a hole through paper or flat material using a metal tool or other sharp object:
I bought one of those things for punching holes in paper.
You have to get your ticket punched before you get on the train.
perforate formal to make a hole or holes in something:
Fragments of the bullet had perforated his intestines.
drill to make a hole using a special tool, often one which turns round and round very quickly:
The dentist started drilling a hole in my tooth.
They won a contract to drill for oil in the area.
bore to make a deep round hole through a rock, into the ground etc:
They had to bore through solid rock.
The men were boring a hole for the tunnel.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hole
həul
See: ace in the hole , burn a hole in one's pocket , in a hole or in a spot , in the hole , out of the hole , square peg in a round hole

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲