peephole

[ peep-hohl ]

See synonyms for peephole on Thesaurus.com

noun

a small hole or opening through which to peep or look, as in a door.

Origin of peephole

First recorded in 1675–85; peep¹ + hole

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use peephole in a sentence

"I was watching you through my little peep-hole—as you saw," he began, with a pleasant smile, advancing to shake hands.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwood
A small window in one end of the shack, opened about two inches at the bottom, answered well enough for a peep-hole.
The Wreckers | Francis Lynde
Once I caught (I thought) a slit in her eye––a peep-hole through which she spied upon me.
The Cruise of the Shining Light | Norman Duncan
Having completed his peep hole, he glued his eye to it, but was unable to make out anyone in the room below him.
The Ranger Boys and the Border Smugglers | Claude A. Labelle
And now he gazed through the peep-hole of the curtain upon a crammed and half-delirious auditorium.
The Regent | E. Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for peephole

peephole

/ (ˈpiːpˌhəʊl) /

noun

a small aperture, such as one in the door of a flat for observing callers before opening

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

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