pothole

noun

pot·​hole ˈpät-ˌhōl 

1

a

: a circular hole formed in the rocky bed of a river by the grinding action of stones or gravel whirled round by the water

b

: a sizable rounded often water-filled depression in land

2

: a pot-shaped hole in a road surface

3

: a usually minor difficulty or setback

hit a pothole in her comeback attempt

potholed

ˈpät-ˌhōld 

adjective

Examples of pothole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to Morgan, there will also be mobile units that can go up for 48 hours while CTDOT staff are fixing guard rails, potholes or a drainage project. —Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2026

There are no guardrails, but there are plenty of potholes. —Lz Granderson, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025

Some of that work is related to roadway expansion, but some of it is routine maintenance to fix things like potholes and cracks. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Dec. 2025

The deep pothole was discovered in the right lane of southbound I-35 over Pflumm Road, according to Delaney Tholen, public information officer for KDOT’s KC Metro office. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 22 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for pothole

• bankroll
• bedroll
• borehole
• cajole
• catchpole
• charcoal
• condole
• control
• dipole
• downhole
• enroll
• extol

Kids Definition

pothole

noun

pot·​hole ˈpät-ˌhōl 

: a deep round hole (as in a road)