hole

hole1 [ houl ] noun count ***

1. ) a space dug in the surface of the ground:

Workers dug a 30-foot hole in the ground.

rabbit/mouse hole: a field containing several rabbit holes

a ) a small space in the ground for hitting the ball into in golf. The 9 or 18 sections of a golf course are also called holes.

2. ) a space in the surface of something that goes partly or completely through it:

hole in: All my socks have holes in them.

gaping hole (=a very large hole): Rain poured through a gaping hole in the roof.

riddled with holes (=completely covered with holes): The tank was riddled with bullet holes.

3. ) a part of something such as an idea or explanation where important details are missing:

His argument was full of holes.

hole in: There is an obvious hole in the law covering drunk drivers.

4. ) INFORMAL an unpleasant or dirty place: DUMP:

This town is a real hole.

blow a hole in something

to prove that an idea or explanation is wrong

in a hole INFORMAL

in a difficult situation

in the hole AMERICAN INFORMAL

in the situation of owing money:

About half of the 14,000 students have fallen behind in tuition payments, leaving the university $10 million in the hole.

make a hole in something INFORMAL

to use a large part of an amount of money:

Paying for daycare can make a huge hole in parents' budgets.

=> PICK1

hole

hole 2 [ houl ] verb

1. ) intransitive or transitive in golf, to hit the ball into the hole

2. ) transitive usually passive if something is holed, something else has made a hole or holes in it:

The ship was holed below the waterline.

,hole `up intransitive or transitive

if you hole up or are holed up somewhere, you stay there, especially because you are hiding:

She was holed up at a resort somewhere, trying to avoid the media.