ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hole

n. countable
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈhoʊɫ// UK //hˈəʊl// hole Archaic General-service Informal Slang Vulgar

n. an empty space in something solid or a gap that goes all the way through an object. You might find one in the ground, in your clothes, or in a wall.

n. a hollow place in a solid body or surface; an opening through something. Often used figuratively to describe a missing part or a flaw in an argument or system.


SIMPLE

There is a small hole in my favorite socks.

CONTEXTUAL

The workers spent the entire morning digging a deep hole in the garden to plant the new tree.

COMPLEX

The detective noted a significant hole in the suspect's alibi, as the timeline of events failed to account for the hour immediately following the crime.

Synonyms
Origin

Various origins: English topographic surname for someone who lived by a depression, from Old English holh (“hole”), from Proto-West Germanic hulwī, from Proto-Germanic *hulwiją. * Borrowed from Norwegian Hole, a habitational surname from Old Norse hóll (“round hill, mound”). * Shortened form of Dutch van Hole, a habitational surname from hol (“hole, depression, cavity”).

Usage

Commonly used with the prepositions 'in' or 'through'.

Idioms14 entries

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