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
Examples of pothole in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Four men who were filling potholes on the bridge at the time of its collapse fell into the water, and are presumed dead.
—
Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
The six workers who died while filling potholes after midnight on Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge came from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2024
The sinkhole was initially reported as a large pothole, before the CHP began receiving reports that the asphalt in the right side of the lane asphalt was failing.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26 after a massive cargo ship rammed into it, causing the structure to crumble into the Patapsco River and kill six workers who were patching potholes.
—USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Six workers who were repairing potholes on the bridge were reported missing in the aftermath; two of their bodies have since been recovered.
—Omar Jimenez, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
How various assets interact What investors typically want, when devising a strategy, is a generally smooth ride that produces decent gains but without facing a lot of potholes along the way.
—The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2024
In addition to responding to encampments, San Jose’s pilot program aims to help identify trash, graffiti, potholes and parking violations.
—Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
His life was cut short when a cargo vessel struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in late March, causing the bridge where Suazo Sandoval and seven other construction workers were fixing potholes to collapse into the Pataspsco River.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
The six workers who died while filling potholes after midnight on Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge came from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
—Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2024
The sinkhole was initially reported as a large pothole, before the CHP began receiving reports that the asphalt in the right side of the lane asphalt was failing.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26 after a massive cargo ship rammed into it, causing the structure to crumble into the Patapsco River and kill six workers who were patching potholes.
—USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Six workers who were repairing potholes on the bridge were reported missing in the aftermath; two of their bodies have since been recovered.
—Omar Jimenez, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
How various assets interact What investors typically want, when devising a strategy, is a generally smooth ride that produces decent gains but without facing a lot of potholes along the way.
—The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2024
In addition to responding to encampments, San Jose’s pilot program aims to help identify trash, graffiti, potholes and parking violations.
—Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
His life was cut short when a cargo vessel struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in late March, causing the bridge where Suazo Sandoval and seven other construction workers were fixing potholes to collapse into the Pataspsco River.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pothole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pothole
Cite this Entry
“Pothole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pothole. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pothole
noun
pot·hole
ˈpät-ˌhōl 
: a deep round hole (as in a road)
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