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Synonyms

hole in one

American  

noun

Golf.
  1. ace.


hole in one British  

noun

  1. a shot from the tee that finishes in the hole

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to score a hole in one

"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
hole in one Idioms  
  1. A perfect achievement, as in Tim scored a hole in one on that test. The term alludes to a perfect stroke in golf, where one drives the ball from the tee into the hole with a single stroke. [c. 1900]


Etymology

Origin of hole in one

First recorded in 1930–35


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.

See Examples For:

From the damage—a gaping hole in one wall and concrete falling from the ceiling—the home won’t be an option this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

But for any golfer a hole in one is a moment to remember and due to its rarity, Vigurs admitted he felt "stupid" even looking for his ball near the hole.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Jake Norr, a junior at Palisades High, made a hole in one earlier this week at Woodley Lakes Golf Course.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

"But we found that a very active, supermassive black hole in one galaxy can affect other galaxies across millions of light-years, suggesting that galaxy evolution may be more of a group effort."

From Science Daily ● Mar. 30, 2026

They wouldn’t be able to sail that ship anywhere with a big hole in one side, of course.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

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