Definition "hole" in the Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus

hole
n

1 an area hollowed out in a solid

2 an opening made in or through something

3 an animal's hiding place or burrow

4 Informal an unattractive place, such as a town or a dwelling

5 Informal a cell or dungeon

6 (U.S.)
informal a small anchorage

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

8 Slang a difficult and embarrassing situation

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

10 (on a golf course)

a the cup on each of the greens

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

c the score made in striking the ball from the tee into the hole

11 (Physics)

a 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

b (as modifier)
hole current

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

12 ♦ hole in the wall
Informal a small dingy place, esp. one difficult to find

13 ♦ in holes so worn as to be full of holes
his socks were in holes

14 ♦ in the hole (Chiefly U.S.)

a in debt

b (of a card, the hole card, in stud poker) dealt face down in the first round

15 ♦ make a hole in to consume or use a great amount of (food, drink, money, etc.)
to make a hole in a bottle of brandy
vb

16 to make a hole or holes in (something)

17 when intr, often foll by: out  (Golf) to hit (the ball) into the hole
  (Old English hol; related to Gothic hulundi, German Höhle, Old Norse hylr pool, Latin caulis hollow stem; see hollow)
♦ holey  adj