Collins English-English Dictionary

hole [həυl]

1. 1. n an area hollowed out in a solid

2. 2. n an opening made in or through something

3. 3. n an animal's hiding place or burrow

4. 4. n [Spoken] an unattractive place, such as a town or a dwelling

5. 5. n [Spoken] a cell or dungeon

6. 6. n [US] [Spoken] a small anchorage

7. 7. n a fault (esp in the phrase pick holes in)

8. 8. n [Slang] a difficult and embarrassing situation

9. 9. n the cavity in various games into which the ball must be thrust

10. 10. n the cup on each of the greens

11. 11. n each of the divisions of a course (usually 18) represented by the distance between the tee and a green

12. 12. n the score made in striking the ball from the tee into the hole

13. 13. n [Physics] a vacancy in a nearly full band of quantum states of electrons in a semiconductor or an insulator. Under the action of an electric field holes behave as carriers of positive charge

14. 14. n (as modifier)

    hole current

15. 15. n a vacancy in the nearly full continuum of quantum states of negative energy of fermions. A hole appears as the antiparticle of the fermion

16. 16. vb to make a hole or holes in (something)

17. 17. vb [when intr, often foll by out] [golf] to hit (the ball) into the hole

18. 18. vb [Etymology] Old English hol; related to Gothic hulundi, German Höhle, Old Norse hylr pool, Latin caulis hollow stem; see hollow