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
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
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Recent Examples of holes
Justin Ray, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Ludvig Aberg was the model of control at The Players Championship, in the lead for 36 consecutive holes and marching to what looked to be a methodical win on the TPC Sawgrass.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
Hands are stabbed, feet are liquidated, fingers are severed, bodies are impaled (at one point an entire butcher block of kitchen knives has to be used to subdue Todd), an ear and a nose are bitten off, shotgun holes are blown into faces, and prison rape is treated as a parlor game.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
But opponents have poked holes in the argument that Illinois should be considered one of the best teams in the country since then.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
The light, airy, fresh-from-the-oven donut holes given to delighted children are just in our memories now.
—Molly Guthrey, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
Xander Schauffele birdied three of his last four holes, including a 20-foot birdie on the 18th, to close with a 69 and finish third, one shot ahead of Robert MacIntyre (69).
—Dallas Morning News, 15 Mar. 2026
The peak of this dome occurred when the Hall coefficient changed sign, indicating that the dominant charge carriers switched from holes to electrons.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 8 Mar. 2026
Consecutive birdies at holes 15 and 16 to end his day moved playing partner Akshay Bhatia to 11-under.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
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
There are plenty of other positions where the Giants can invest in talent and leadership, and holes on the roster to fill.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
The posts included more than a dozen images that showed bruises and other wounds on her body, holes in the wall and broken cabinets.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Pierce holes in the cake so that the Bourbon Glaze can soak in.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2026
Some of those trails, initially seen in January, were made by moving dirt to clear a space and creating small mounds and/or holes in the ground to jump over.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The major effect results when the compost penetrates the aeration holes.
—Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Jan. 2026
It can be washed in a machine and has suction cups on the bottom — holes in the mat help drain excess water.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
Noun
Despite the par-5s making up just 12 of the 54 holes Åberg has played this week, more than 50 percent of his strokes gained against the field have come there.
—Justin Ray, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Ludvig Aberg was the model of control at The Players Championship, in the lead for 36 consecutive holes and marching to what looked to be a methodical win on the TPC Sawgrass.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
Hands are stabbed, feet are liquidated, fingers are severed, bodies are impaled (at one point an entire butcher block of kitchen knives has to be used to subdue Todd), an ear and a nose are bitten off, shotgun holes are blown into faces, and prison rape is treated as a parlor game.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
But opponents have poked holes in the argument that Illinois should be considered one of the best teams in the country since then.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
The light, airy, fresh-from-the-oven donut holes given to delighted children are just in our memories now.
—Molly Guthrey, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
Xander Schauffele birdied three of his last four holes, including a 20-foot birdie on the 18th, to close with a 69 and finish third, one shot ahead of Robert MacIntyre (69).
—Dallas Morning News, 15 Mar. 2026
The peak of this dome occurred when the Hall coefficient changed sign, indicating that the dominant charge carriers switched from holes to electrons.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 8 Mar. 2026
Consecutive birdies at holes 15 and 16 to end his day moved playing partner Akshay Bhatia to 11-under.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
There are plenty of other positions where the Giants can invest in talent and leadership, and holes on the roster to fill.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
The posts included more than a dozen images that showed bruises and other wounds on her body, holes in the wall and broken cabinets.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Pierce holes in the cake so that the Bourbon Glaze can soak in.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2026
Some of those trails, initially seen in January, were made by moving dirt to clear a space and creating small mounds and/or holes in the ground to jump over.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
The major effect results when the compost penetrates the aeration holes.
—Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Jan. 2026
It can be washed in a machine and has suction cups on the bottom — holes in the mat help drain excess water.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holes
Noun
-
There is some reason to use the lens at tiny apertures, though.—
Jim Fisher,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Doing so merges two apertures — the narrow and the microscopic — into a wide-angle lens.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Early hours may feel prickly, as a tense Moon-Sun square pits enthusiastic action against sensitive emotions.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Outside are fire pits for gathering, a popular spot.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Winning from behind is not sustainable, and the predicaments in which Chelsea have found themselves this week point to other problems.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Rustin has slyly given her script a focus on women’s needs and feelings, a welcome departure for a genre that usually is more concerned about the men’s predicaments.—
Matthew J. Palm,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In practice, the audience fills in the gaps.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Mar. 2026
-
CodeWall was tasked with identifying vulnerabilities and gaps in McKinsey’s Lilli chatbot, which the consulting firm rolled out in 2023 (and is now used by most McKinsey employees and clients).—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Padre Island National Seashore hosts the largest number of nests in the country, making Texas one of the most important places in the world for the species’ survival.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Padre Island National Seashore hosts the largest number of nests in the country, making the Texas coastline essential to the species’ survival.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Another Arsenal goal kick and Raya, after a customary bit of stud cleaning, drills the ball long.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Wingo and Mosley are both recovering from some nagging injuries suffered during 2025 and haven’t fully participated in offseason team drills.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Gophers led 31-29 at the half, but had trouble with Francis finding openings in Minnesota’s 2-3 zone defense.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The company’s website listed 27 active job openings for its Leavenworth facility on Friday evening.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Will the metal frame collect more dents and dings in education scenarios than plastic would?—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
This can include scratches, dents, chipped paint and even mismatched units if your warranty coverage leads to a replacement that doesn’t match your other appliances.—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holes. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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