air hole

American  

noun

1. an opening to admit or discharge air.

2. a natural opening in the frozen surface of a river or pond.

3. air pocket.

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air hole British  

noun

1. a hole that allows the passage of air, esp for ventilation

2. a section of open water in a frozen surface

3. a less common name for air pocket

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Etymology

Origin of air hole

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

Then I cracked open one eye and found a tiny air hole at the top of my hat.

From Washington Post • Jan. 15, 2015

The old cap had a rubber seal that, because it tended to swell up and cover the cap's air hole, could have caused the gas tank to collapse.

From Time Magazine Archive

Its oxygen became so depleted that by the time their rescuers managed to bore a fresh air hole for them, they had begun to vomit.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was the air hole for a muskrat den.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

Daddy Blake took off his skates, and then, with a long piece of fence rail, while he stood on the bank, the children's papa broke the ice around the edges of the air hole.

From Daddy Takes Us Skating by Garis, Howard Roger