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
The incident killed six construction workers who were on the bridge fixing potholes.
—
Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
Can any amount of money make those meetings about potholes, permits, policy and public pay worth it?
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 11 May 2024
Obviously, an open cup with an enormous straw sticking out of it is not ideal for a moving vehicle taking sharp turns or going over potholes.
—Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 8 May 2024
What didn’t end up in a New Orleanian’s blood ended up filling every pothole in the Quarter—a bubbly black tarn of viscid vice.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a 213-million-pound cargo vessel slammed into the structure, killing six workers repairing potholes on it.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 7 May 2024
Cyclists typically warn those behind them of the presence of potholes, or random debris in the road; our group had little to do.
—Tom Vanderbilt, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 May 2024
Now, obviously, making product assumptions based on research papers is a deeply inexact science — the line from research to store shelves is windy and full of potholes.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 5 May 2024
The first group of students created several apps to enter in the competition, including ones that connected users to water-filling stations, provided people with information about food banks, and allowed users to report potholes.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2024
Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
Can any amount of money make those meetings about potholes, permits, policy and public pay worth it?
—Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 11 May 2024
Obviously, an open cup with an enormous straw sticking out of it is not ideal for a moving vehicle taking sharp turns or going over potholes.
—Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 8 May 2024
What didn’t end up in a New Orleanian’s blood ended up filling every pothole in the Quarter—a bubbly black tarn of viscid vice.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a 213-million-pound cargo vessel slammed into the structure, killing six workers repairing potholes on it.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 7 May 2024
Cyclists typically warn those behind them of the presence of potholes, or random debris in the road; our group had little to do.
—Tom Vanderbilt, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 May 2024
Now, obviously, making product assumptions based on research papers is a deeply inexact science — the line from research to store shelves is windy and full of potholes.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 5 May 2024
The first group of students created several apps to enter in the competition, including ones that connected users to water-filling stations, provided people with information about food banks, and allowed users to report potholes.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 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 19 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pothole
noun
pot·hole
ˈpät-ˌhōl 
: a deep round hole (as in a road)
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