manhole

American  

[man-hohl] / ˈmænˌhoʊl /

noun

• manholes
  plural

1. a hole, usually with a cover, through which a person may enter a sewer, drain, steam boiler, etc., especially one located in a city street.

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manhole British  

/ ˈmænˌhəʊl /

noun

1. Also called: inspection chamber. a shaft with a removable cover that leads down to a sewer or drain

2. a hole, usually with a detachable cover, through which a man can enter a boiler, tank, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• manholes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of manhole

First recorded in 1785–95; man + hole

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Explanation

A manhole is an opening in a street or sidewalk that gives workers access to underground pipes, drains, power lines, and cables. A manhole usually has a heavy metal cover — which can go shooting up in the air in the case of an underground explosion. Steer clear of smoking manholes! Inside a manhole, there are steps or a ladder leading down to the space underneath the street. Utility workers need access to this underground area to make repairs or updates to services. From above, a manhole simply looks like a metal circle in the pavement. The word manhole (which sounds a little dated, since plenty of utility workers are women) was coined in the late 18th century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

manhole manholes

“There’s very little information under the ground. You’re just going, ‘Pipe, pipe, manhole.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

One playworker noticed a child standing on a manhole with a plunger and watched quietly to make sure he didn’t throw the object.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

New York officials arrested two of three men who they said were seen emerging from a manhole, exiting the city's underground sewer system on Wednesday.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

The passage tapped into the El Paso sewer system, where, according to U.S. authorities, migrants surfaced from a manhole.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

A weird funnel device was attached to the forges chimney, trapping the smoke and heat and channeling it through a pipe into the floor, next to a big bronze manhole cover.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

The arrests follow a string of incidents in which people were seen emerging from pavement manholes in different parts of the city in recent months.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

An estimated 8 million gallons overflowed manholes and streamed into storm drains that empty into the Dominguez Channel, which terminates at Cabrillo Beach, Langpap said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2024

Rescuers also cordoned off overflowing manholes, carried a child from a stranded vehicle and guided others to move their motorcycles through the murky waters, the videos showed.

From Reuters ● Sep. 8, 2023

She tracked more than 1,700 manholes here that had been geotagged for their location.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2023

The metal tubes lining manholes popped out of the pavement as the ground around them sank and settled.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

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