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foxhole

American  
[foks-hohl] / ˈfɒksˌhoʊl /

noun

  1. a small pit, usually for one or two soldiers, dug as a shelter in a battle area.

foxhole British  
/ ˈfɒksˌhəʊl /

noun

  1. military a small pit dug during an action to provide individual shelter against hostile fire

"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 foxhole

First recorded in 1915–20; fox + 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.

Oleg Zamyatin, 54, testified that Hodniuk was not holding a gun when he emerged from the foxhole.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2025

And because Morris, like James said, has been in the foxhole with him, he can even get on the NBA’s all-time leading scorer when the moment calls for it.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2025

Everyone in LA is in that foxhole now.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2025

Combining the lidar data with on-site investigation can reveal insights ranging from a single soldier digging a foxhole to “the global narrative of World War II.”

From Science Magazine • Aug. 14, 2023

They would dig a foxhole and get the board out and play long, silent games as the sky went from pink to purple.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

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.