holes 1 of 2

noun

plural of hole
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

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2
as in pits
a sunken area forming a separate space dig a hole big enough to plant the tree

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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

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4
as in dumps
a dirty or messy place when people see my room, they often ask, "How can you live in this hole?"

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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

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6
as in nests
the shelter or resting place of a wild animal watched the snake slither into its hole

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holes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hole
as in drills
to make a hole or series of holes in holed the target with a round of shots

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of holes
Noun
Chacarra was 4 under for his round after 11 holes, having started out in the halfway lead after completing a second-round 67 early Saturday. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 Using wooden planks and sandbags, Long Beach City work crews earlier this month had patched up holes in the boardwalk’s wall created by the hurricanes, but the reinforcements did not hold. — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026 There were holes on the ceiling on the left side of the server’s station. — Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026 So our test results have some holes, as one test runs smoothly on one device and not on another. — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026 Fixing Holes With Soap or Toothpaste Most houses have holes or cracks in the walls. — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 15 Oct. 2026 At last year’s Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, Nike equipped ACG athlete Caleb Olson with the Radical Airflow Shirt, a loose-fitting long sleeve pocked with hundreds of large holes. — Daniel Varghese, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 Heavy rain left mud holes, which are hot spots for the biting midges that carry EHD. — Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026 The golf course will remain open to the public throughout the renovation effort, although individual holes may temporarily close while work is underway, the agency said. — Matthew Daly, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
Verb
What Skunk Burrows Look Like For a larger animal, holes that skunks dig while foraging are relatively small. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 24 Sep. 2026 Fill ruts, depressions, and holes with topsoil and either turf or plants. — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2026 Caulk holes around plumbing and sewer lines where roaches are likely to enter. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 4 June 2026 The flight attendants then attempted to solve the problem by shoving napkins inside the ceiling holes. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026 Mirroring the 3-star wig cap structure, this wig featured three combs (left-side, right-side, nape), a drawstring, wig band insertion holes, and a 13×4 lace. — Noel Cymone Walker, StyleCaster, 1 Apr. 2026 The penetration holes indicate that the internal facility is likely bombed out, destroying anything that was inside. — CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holes
  1. apertures
  2. pits
  3. predicaments
  4. gaps
  5. nests
  6. drills
  7. openings
  8. dents
Noun
  • Aligned along a single axis, these apertures create a perspective that evokes the assembly-line logic of the automotive industry.
    — Sarah Belmont for ArtNews, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Larger apertures gather more light, while monochrome cameras with filters help tease out subtle banding.
    — Damian Peach, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of apertures
Noun
  • Crowley, once a logging camp, can’t be reached by road, but train passengers can wander among picnic tables, fire pits, cornhole games and a massive, gnarled old redwood known as the Wolf Tree.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Senate race pits incumbent Roger Marshall against Democrat Adam Hamilton.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of pits
Noun
  • The relentless rain associated with Hurricane Isaias didn’t stop some hikers from venturing onto trails and greenways in North Carolina, leading to life-threatening predicaments, officials say.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
  • On the screen, in a series of daredevil adventures, the actor had extricated himself from a hundred impossible predicaments.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of predicaments
Noun
  • The double-slit experiment, for example, is a classic setup where scientists send particles through two gaps in a screen and observe a resulting interference pattern, proving that the particles act as waves.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Kyiv has since also reported gaps in intelligence sharing and restrictions on Elon Musk’s Starlink service, which is crucial for its drone missions, battlefield communications and air defense.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of gaps
Noun
  • Each spring, before the tractors roll in, Lundberg teams up with the California Waterfowl Association to search the cover crops for nests and collect any eggs by hand.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Birds are conspicuous then – singing, defending territories, building nests and raising young.
    — Amy L. Scarpignato, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of nests
Verb
  • Ramiro Benavides, director of a middle school mariachi in the district, drills his students not only on how to play their instruments and sing, but also on how to bring a theatrical and dramatic flair to their performances.
    — Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Dewan is also filming The Rookie, so things are getting challenging as Val drills her on the technique — even on set between takes.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of drills
Noun
  • There are new openings, such as the Cape Froward National Park in Chile, and landmark anniversaries, like a Beethoven festival in Leipzig, Germany, to mark the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects an average of around 82,000 electrician openings annually through 2035, with employment in the trade growing significantly faster than the overall labor market.
    — Shiva Dhawan, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of openings
Noun
  • Front and rear bumpers can be easily detached from bodywork to allow cheap replacement after low-speed dents.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Companies like Flock allow users to conduct searches based on characteristics like vehicle make, model and color, as well as other distinctive vehicle features like dents and stickers.
    — Abigail Hall, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of dents

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holed up
holes
holes up
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Cite this Entry

“Holes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holes. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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