1
a
: an opening through something : perforation
The coat has a hole in it.
a bullet hole
b
: an area where something is missing
His mother's death left a hole in his life.
: gap: such as
(2)
: an opening in a defensive formation
a running back's ability to find holes in the defensive line
especially
: the area of a baseball field between the positions of shortstop and third baseman
(3)
: a defect in a crystal (as of a semiconductor) that is due to an electron's having left its normal position in one of the crystal bonds and that is equivalent in many respects to a positively charged particle
2
: a hollowed-out place
a hole in an apple
: such as
a
: a cave, pit, or well in the ground
dug a large hole with a steam shovel
b
: burrow
a rabbit hole
c
: an unusually deep place in a body of water (such as a river)
3
a
: a wretched or dreary place
How could anyone live in such a hole?
b
: a prison cell especially for solitary confinement
threw him in the hole for two days
4
a
golf
: a shallow cylindrical hole or hollowed-out place in the putting green of a golf course into which the ball is played
b
: a part of the golf course from tee (see tee entry 2 sense 2) to putting green
just beginning play on the third hole
also
: the play on such a hole as a unit of scoring
won the hole by two strokes
5
a
: an awkward position or circumstance : fix
got the rebels out of a hole at the battle—
Kenneth Roberts
Kenneth Roberts
b
: a position of owing or losing money
$10 million in the hole
raising money to get out of the hole
holed; holing
1
: to make an opening through or a hollowed-out place in (as by cutting, digging, boring, or shooting at) : to make a hole (see hole entry 1) in
The ship was holed along the waterline by enemy fire.
2
: to drive or hit into a hole
hole a putt
The dogs holed the fox.
: to make an opening through or a hollowed-out place in something : to make a hole in something
Examples of hole in a Sentence
Noun
I have a hole in my sock.
He fixed the hole in the roof.
a mouse hole in the wall
The dog dug a deep hole.
Her putt rolled right into the hole.
She made a birdie on the seventh hole.
The course has 18 holes.
Verb
She holed a long putt for a birdie.
holed the target with a round of shots
Recent Examples on the Web
Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Once written, the script’s fantastic promise distracted its readers from the fatal holes in its plot.
—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Minnesota will be aggressive filling whatever holes spring up, and Reeve has proven to be resourceful.
—Ben Pickman, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hole
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Next, a 10,000-pound concrete-and-steel battering ram was used to punch 24-foot holes through the ice, beginning at the far end of the whales' four-mile path to freedom, so as not to alarm them.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Once written, the script’s fantastic promise distracted its readers from the fatal holes in its plot.
—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
And the rise of insurance money in investing has created patient capital that in many cases fits those money holes better than blunter instruments.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Minnesota will be aggressive filling whatever holes spring up, and Reeve has proven to be resourceful.
—Ben Pickman, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hole
Cite this Entry
“Hole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hole. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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