Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - hole

(holes, holing, holed) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A hole is a hollow space in something solid, with an opening on one side. He took a shovel, dug a hole, and buried his once-prized possessions... ...a 60ft hole. N-COUNT 2. A hole is an opening in something that goes right through it. These tiresome creatures eat holes in the leaves... ...kids with holes in the knees of their jeans. N-COUNT: oft N in n 3. A hole is the home or hiding place of a mouse, rabbit, or other small animal. ...a rabbit hole. N-COUNT 4. A hole in a law, theory, or argument is a fault or weakness that it has. There were some holes in that theory, some unanswered questions. N-COUNT: oft N in n 5. A hole is also one of the nine or eighteen sections of a golf course. I played nine holes with Gary Player today. N-COUNT 6. A hole is one of the places on a golf course that the ball must drop into, usually marked by a flag. N-COUNT 7. If you say that you need something or someone like a hole in the head, you are emphasizing that you do not want them and that they would only add to the problems that you already have. (INFORMAL) We need more folk heroes like we need a hole in the head. PHRASE: V inflects c darkgreen]emphasis 8. If you say that you are in a hole, you mean that you are in a difficult or embarrassing situation. (INFORMAL) He admitted that the government was in ‘a dreadful hole’. PHRASE: v-link PHR 9. If you get a hole in one in golf, you get the golf ball into the hole with a single stroke. PHRASE: usu v PHR 10. If you pick holes in an argument or theory, you find weak points in it so that it is no longer valid. (INFORMAL) He then goes on to pick holes in the article before reaching his conclusion. PHRASE: V inflects