holes 1 of 2

noun

plural of hole
1
as in apertures
a place in a surface allowing passage into or through a thing line up the pegs on section A with the holes in section B and press the two together

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pits
a sunken area forming a separate space dig a hole big enough to plant the tree

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in predicaments
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape Bill dug himself into a hole by promising to be in two places at the same time

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in dumps
a dirty or messy place when people see my room, they often ask, "How can you live in this hole?"

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in gaps
an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge) found a hole in the chain-link fence big enough to squeeze through

Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in nests
the shelter or resting place of a wild animal watched the snake slither into its hole

Synonyms & Similar Words

holes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hole
as in drills
to make a hole or series of holes in holed the target with a round of shots

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of holes
Noun
Second-round leader Haeran Ryu, who birdied her last three holes, still led the tournament by four strokes after a 4-under 68 and a three-round total of 17-under 199. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 Gaps where electrons can sit, called holes, can also induce superconductivity at not-so-cold temperatures, just in a slightly different way. — Sven Badoux, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026 Fabric thinning or developing holes was the top concern (62 percent), followed by seams splitting or unravelling (55 percent). — Cleo Levin, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 The discovery of the flaws highlights the battle between security professionals and hackers in using AI to spot potential holes in organizations' technology systems. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 There are certainly ways, over time, to find holes around it. — Stevie Bonifield, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2026 The size of these holes matched the size and shape of a single bacterial cell, the study found. — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026 Ask it to poke holes and give you the strongest case against something. — Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 Using wooden planks and sandbags, Long Beach City work crews earlier this month had patched up holes in the boardwalk’s wall created by the hurricanes, but the reinforcements did not hold. — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
Verb
What Skunk Burrows Look Like For a larger animal, holes that skunks dig while foraging are relatively small. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 24 Sep. 2026 Fill ruts, depressions, and holes with topsoil and either turf or plants. — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2026 Caulk holes around plumbing and sewer lines where roaches are likely to enter. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 4 June 2026 The flight attendants then attempted to solve the problem by shoving napkins inside the ceiling holes. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026 Mirroring the 3-star wig cap structure, this wig featured three combs (left-side, right-side, nape), a drawstring, wig band insertion holes, and a 13×4 lace. — Noel Cymone Walker, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2026 The penetration holes indicate that the internal facility is likely bombed out, destroying anything that was inside. — CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026 But some backpacks are better for travel than others, perhaps designed with isolated shoe compartments, holes to feed your phone charging cable through, jewelry pouches, and special materials that simply wipe clean after picking up germs from public floors. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026 The San Francisco 49ers head into free agency with roughly $38 million in salary-cap space — 11th most in the NFL — and holes all over their roster. — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holes
  1. apertures
  2. pits
  3. predicaments
  4. gaps
  5. nests
  6. drills
  7. openings
  8. dents
Noun
  • Aligned along a single axis, these apertures create a perspective that evokes the assembly-line logic of the automotive industry.
    — Sarah Belmont for ArtNews, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Larger apertures gather more light, while monochrome cameras with filters help tease out subtle banding.
    — Damian Peach, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of apertures
Noun
  • Oil drilling began in the Bayou in the 1920s, a time of lawless extraction, and for decades, companies would simply dump their wastewater into large, unlined pits, allowing the fluid to seep into the ground.
    — Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Molcajetes constructed of lava rock with pits creating a rough and not smooth nor easily cleanable surface were in the facility.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of pits
Noun
  • The relentless rain associated with Hurricane Isaias didn’t stop some hikers from venturing onto trails and greenways in North Carolina, leading to life-threatening predicaments, officials say.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
  • On the screen, in a series of daredevil adventures, the actor had extricated himself from a hundred impossible predicaments.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of predicaments
Noun
  • But Rodrigues believes technology can augment traditional teaching methods by examining how a student solves an algebra problem or structures a piece of writing and identifying learning gaps.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Companies that close those gaps will move faster than those chasing every new tool.
    — Radoslav Nedelchev, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of gaps
Noun
  • This species has an unusual form of social organization known as unicoloniality, in which ants from different nests cooperate rather than fight.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Thankfully, these aren't the nests of some colossal moon-dwelling arachnids, but streaks of bright material cast across the lunar surface by the violent impacts that created the bright young craters.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of nests
Verb
  • Ramiro Benavides, director of a middle school mariachi in the district, drills his students not only on how to play their instruments and sing, but also on how to bring a theatrical and dramatic flair to their performances.
    — Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Dewan is also filming The Rookie, so things are getting challenging as Val drills her on the technique — even on set between takes.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of drills
Noun
  • Strong building codes, effective enforcement, stronger roofs, protected openings and sound roof-to-wall connections can interrupt the expensive cycle of destruction and reconstruction.
    — Kevin M. McCarty, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Large openings cut through each level’s floor plates help accommodate the impressive craft while providing perspectives from all angles, even above.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of openings
Noun
  • Front and rear bumpers can be easily detached from bodywork to allow cheap replacement after low-speed dents.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Companies like Flock allow users to conduct searches based on characteristics like vehicle make, model and color, as well as other distinctive vehicle features like dents and stickers.
    — Abigail Hall, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of dents

Browse Nearby Words

holed up
holes
holes up
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Holes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holes. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All