hole

The word “hole” means a hollow space or opening in something solid, or a gap that goes all the way through. In plain terms, an empty gap or opening — literal (in the ground, a wall, clothing) or figurative (in a plan or argument).

“Hole” is pronounced hohl (/hoʊl/ in IPA).

Here is “hole” used in a sentence: “She dug a hole in the garden to plant the tree.”

“Hole” is a noun.

The word “hole” comes from Old English. From Old English hol, meaning "hollow place or cavity," from a very old Germanic root related to the word "hollow.".

“Hole” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Hole” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a hollow space or opening in something solid, or a gap that goes all the way through.

They sound alike but mean opposite things. A hole is an opening, gap, or hollow space in something. Whole means complete or entire, with nothing missing, as in the whole cake. A simple reminder: a doughnut has a hole in the middle, but you might eat the whole thing.

Holes take many forms: a pit or hollow dug in the ground, a puncture or tear in fabric, a bore that passes right through an object, or a burrow where an animal lives. Figuratively, a hole can also mean a tricky situation or a flaw in an argument.

Everyday examples include "There's a hole in my sock," "They dug a hole for the fence post," and "The mouse vanished into a hole in the wall." Used figuratively, "His story had a hole in it" points to a gap or weakness in someone's reasoning.

There is no single opposite. For a raised area rather than a sunken one, you might use bump, bulge, or protrusion. For something that closes or fills a gap, plug, fill, or solid work well. In the sense of completeness, its homophone whole is the natural contrast.