pinhole

noun

pin·​hole ˈpin-ˌhōl How to pronounce pinhole (audio)
: a small hole made by, for, or as if by a pin

Examples of pinhole in a Sentence

The water was leaking through a pinhole in the pipe. pinholes in a bedsheet will look like stars if you shine a light from behind it
Recent Examples on the Web Using a pinhole projector, for example, is one way onlookers can experience the eclipse. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Warby Parker has also provided a guide on how to DIY your own pinhole projector if you aren’t located near a store. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024 But perhaps the best known, if rather fiddly, way of watching an eclipse using pinhole projection is to make your own pinhole camera. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 In simple terms, the Millennium Camera is an advanced pinhole camera. The Arizona Republic, 28 Feb. 2024 To see the partial eclipse indirectly, make a pinhole in a piece of cardboard and let the sun’s light shine through it and onto a piece of paper. Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 8 Feb. 2024 Make your own solar eclipse viewers Another simple method is to create your own pinhole projector to project the sun onto a nearby surface. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2024 The size of the resulting image depends on the distance between the scene and the pinhole. IEEE Spectrum, 10 Oct. 2023 Visitors can also make their own pinhole camera and sun prints. Wendy O'Dea, Travel + Leisure, 11 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pinhole was in 1612

Dictionary Entries Near pinhole

Cite this Entry

“Pinhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinhole. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pinhole

noun
pin·​hole -ˌhōl How to pronounce pinhole (audio)
: a very small hole made by or as if by a pin

More from Merriam-Webster on pinhole

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