an opening through something; gap; aperture

a hole in the roof; a hole in my sock.

a hollow place in a solid body or mass; a cavity

a hole in the ground.

the excavated habitation of an animal; burrow.

a small, dingy, or shabby place

I couldn't live in a hole like that.

a place of solitary confinement; dungeon.

an embarrassing position or predicament

to find oneself in a hole.

a cove or small harbor.

a fault or flaw

They found serious holes in his reasoning.

a deep, still place in a stream

a swimming hole.

Sports .

a small cavity, into which a marble, ball, or the like is to be played.

a score made by so playing.

Golf .

the circular opening in a green into which the ball is to be played.

a part of a golf course from a tee to the hole corresponding to it, including fairway, rough, and hazards.

the number of strokes taken to hit the ball from a tee into the hole corresponding to it.

Informal . opening; slot

The radio program was scheduled for the p.m. hole. We need an experienced person to fill a hole in our accounting department.

Metalworking . (in wire drawing) one reduction of a section.

Electronics . a mobile vacancy in the electronic structure of a semiconductor that acts as a positive charge carrier and has equivalent mass.

Aeronautics . an air pocket that causes a plane or other aircraft to drop suddenly.

to make a hole or holes in.

to put or drive into a hole.

Golf . to hit the ball into (a hole).

to bore (a tunnel, passage, etc.).

to make a hole or holes. ?

hole out, Golf . to strike the ball into a hole

He holed out in five, one over par.

hole up,

to go into a hole; retire for the winter, as a hibernating animal.

to hide, as from pursuers, the police, etc.

The police think the bank robbers are holed up in Chicago.

burn a hole in one's pocket

to urge one to spend money quickly

His inheritance was burning a hole in his pocket.

hole in the wall, a small or confining place, esp. one that is dingy, shabby

or out-of-the-way

Their first shop was a real hole in the wall.

in a or the hole

in debt; in straitened circumstances

After Christmas I am always in the hole for at least a month.

Baseball, Softball . pitching or batting with the count of balls or balls and strikes to one's disadvantage, esp. batting with a count of two strikes and one ball or none.

Stud Poker . being the card or one of the cards dealt face down in the first round

a king in the hole.

make a hole in

to take a large part of

A large bill from the dentist made a hole in her savings.

pick a hole or holes in

to find a fault or flaw in

As soon as I presented my argument, he began to pick holes in it.