holey

adjective

hol·​ey ˈhō-lē How to pronounce holey (audio)
: having holes

Examples of holey in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the story is lumpy too, its mechanical interweaving of Shakespeare and Disney somehow both predictable and holey. New York Times, 24 Oct. 2021 In a 2018 Frontiers in Psychiatry case study, a girl with trypophobia reported being triggered by seeds on bread, polka dot or animal prints, holey cheese, and honeycomb. Natasha Lavender, SELF, 26 July 2019 This part happens fast, but the gist is that the holey boat founders next to a larger ship that’s sinking and spilling oil into the water. Eliza Thompson, Cosmopolitan, 17 July 2017 This weekend is your last chance to shop for holey sweaters ($350) and enamel heart logo pins ($95) at the MET x CDG Pocket Shop, which closes Monday with the Costume Institute exhibition. Alison S. Cohn, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2017 Harry makes it out of the holey boat but lands right in the oil like one of those baby pelicans that has to get washed off with Dawn. Eliza Thompson, Cosmopolitan, 17 July 2017 Remember when someone turned their fingernails into holey slices of Swiss cheese and the internet was devastated by the grossness? Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, 14 July 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'holey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English holly, holi, from hole, holle hole entry 1 + -i, -y -y entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of holey was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near holey

Cite this Entry

“Holey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holey. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

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