Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

downhole

American  
[doun-hohl] / ˈdaʊnˌhoʊl /

noun

  1. a hole dug or drilled downward, as in a mine or a petroleum or gas well.

adjective

  1. occurring or situated in such a hole.

downhole British  
/ ˈdaʊnˌhəʊl /

adjective

  1. (in the oil industry) denoting any piece of equipment that is used in the well itself

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of downhole

down 1 + hole

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“For example, while it does not change the level of downhole pressure the agency requires operators to maintain in a given well to avoid an accident, it removes the word ‘safe’ in describing that balance.

From Washington Post • Jan. 2, 2018

Mr. Fisher and others lobbied the Chilean government to let them use the drills, known as downhole hammers, which have air-powered bits that pound the rock as the drill rotates.

From New York Times • Oct. 12, 2010

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.