# pothole

/ˈpɑtˌhoʊɫ/ (US) · /pˈɒthəʊl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pothole
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. hole in a road

noun · CEFR B2

a hole in the surface of a road caused by bad weather or heavy traffic.

For teachers: a depression or cavity in a road surface, typically resulting from the freezing and thawing of water or the mechanical wear of heavy traffic.

- The car hit a deep pothole and damaged one of the front tires.
- Local residents have repeatedly petitioned the council to repair the dangerous potholes that have appeared following the unusually harsh winter.

### 2. a vertical cave

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a deep, vertical hole or cave system, usually found in limestone rock.

For teachers: a deep, vertical shaft or cave system, characteristic of karst topography and often formed by the action of water on limestone.

- The group of explorers prepared their ropes to descend into the limestone pothole.
- The region is famous among cavers for its extensive network of potholes, some of which drop hundreds of feet into subterranean chambers.

### 3. riverbed depression

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a smooth, round hole in the bottom of a river made by stones spinning in the water.

For teachers: a circular hole formed in a rocky riverbed by the abrasive action of stones whirled around by the force of the current.

- When the river level dropped, we could see deep potholes in the smooth rock.
- Geologists studied the potholes in the ancient riverbed to determine the historical velocity and direction of the water flow.

### 4. illegal excavation

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a hole dug by people looking for treasure or old objects without permission.

For teachers: a pit resulting from unauthorized or amateur excavation by treasure-hunters, often damaging archaeological sites.

- The archaeologist was upset to find several potholes left by looters at the site.
- The integrity of the burial mound was compromised by numerous potholes dug by vandals searching for valuable artifacts.

## Examples

- The car hit a deep pothole and damaged the wheel.
- Heavy rainfall this winter has created several dangerous potholes on the main road into the city.
- The survey revealed that the ancient aqueduct had collapsed into a massive pothole, forcing the engineers to reroute the water supply through a series of temporary channels.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.