hole

 
Pronunciation: /həʊl/

noun

  • 1a hollow place in a solid body or surface: the dog had dug a hole in the ground
  • an aperture passing through something: he had a hole in his sock
  • a cavity or receptacle on a golf course, typically one of eighteen or nine, into which the ball must be hit.
  • one of the sections of a golf course or the divisions of play in a game of golf : Stephen lost the first three holes to Eric
  • an animal’s burrow: a fox’s hole
  • [in place names] a valley: Seaton Hole
  • Physics a position from which an electron is absent, especially one regarded as a mobile carrier of positive charge in a semiconductor.
  • 2a place or position that needs to be filled because someone or something is no longer there: she is missed terribly and her death has left a hole in all our lives
  • a shortcoming, weakness, or flaw in a plan, argument, etc.: intriguing as it sounds, the theory is full of holes
  • 3 informal an unpleasant place: she had wasted a whole lifetime in this hole of a town
  • an awkward situation: the team are in a bit of a hole and it’s a case of seeing if they can dig themselves out

verb

[with object]
  • 1make a hole or holes in: a fuel tank was holed by the attack and a fire started
  • 2 Golf hit (the ball) into a hole: George holed a six-iron shot from the fairway [no object]: he holed out for a birdie

Phrases

blow a hole in

ruin the effectiveness of: the amendment could blow a hole in the legislation

in the hole

North American informal in debt: we’re still three thousand dollars in the hole

in holes

worn so much that holes have formed: my clothes are in holes

make a hole in

use a large amount of: holidays can make a big hole in your savings

need something like a hole in the head

informal used to emphasize that someone has absolutely no need or desire for something: the government needs another reorganization like a hole in the head

Phrasal Verbs

hole out

  • 1 Cricket (of a batsman) hit the ball to a fielder and be caught.
  • 2 Golf send the ball into a hole.

hole up

informal hide oneself: I holed up for two days in a tiny cottage in Snowdonia

Derivatives

holey

adjective

Origin:

Old English hol (noun), holian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hol (noun) 'cave', (adjective) 'hollow', and German hohl 'hollow', from an Indo-European root meaning 'cover, conceal'