Meaning of “hole” in the English Dictionary

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"hole" in English

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holenoun [ C ]

uk ​ /həʊl/ us ​ /hoʊl/

hole noun [ C ] (SPACE)

B1 an empty space in an object, usually with an opening to the object's surface, or an opening that goes completely through an object:

We dug a hole and planted the tree.
My jumper's got a hole in it.
Drill a hole through the back of the cupboard and pass the wires through.

› in golf, one of the small circular spaces in the ground into which the ball is hit

› in golf, one of the usually 18 areas of play:

an 18-hole course

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

hole noun [ C ] (PLACE)

› a place in the ground where a small animal lives:

a mouse/rabbit/fox hole

› informal a small unpleasant place where someone lives:

What a hole that house was - I'm so pleased we moved.
See also
hole in the wall

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

be in a hole
be in the hole
a hole in one
make a hole in sth
need sth like you need a hole in the head
play in the hole

holeverb [ T ]

uk ​ /həʊl/ us ​ /hoʊl/ specialized

Idiom(s)

be holed up

Phrasal verb(s)

hole up (somewhere)

(Definition of “hole” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"hole" in American English

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holenoun

us ​ /hoʊl/

hole noun (SPACE)

› [ C ] an empty space or opening in an object:

We dug a hole to plant the tree.
My sweater has a hole in it.

› [ C ] A hole is also something that has been left out or not explained:

The new proposal is full of holes.

› [ C ] In golf, a hole is one of the small hollow spaces in the ground into which the ball is hit, or one of the usually 18 areas of play:

the seventh hole

hole noun (DIFFICULTY)

› [ C usually sing ] a difficult situation:

Without their starting quarterback, the team is in a (bit of a) hole.

Idiom(s)

in the hole

(Definition of “hole” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"hole" in Business English

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holenoun

uk ​ /həʊl/ us ​

› [ C ] a loss or an amount that cannot be explained:

He's a fund manager who has fashioned a career by finding the holes in financial statements.
The company has revealed a £20m hole in its pension fund because of collapsing share markets.
be in a hole UK informal

› to be in a difficult situation:

We've lost the order and we're in a bit of a hole.
in the hole US informal

› in debt:

the account is $143 in the hole
make a hole in sth

› to reduce an amount of money by a lot:

The price of travel can make a hole in even the deepest pocket.

(Definition of “hole” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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