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pinhole

American  
[pin-hohl] / ˈpɪnˌhoʊl /

noun

  1. a small hole made by or as by a pin.

  2. a hole for a pin to go through; tiny aperture.


pinhole British  
/ ˈpɪnˌhəʊl /

noun

  1. a small hole made with or as if with a pin

  2. archery the exact centre of an archery target, in the middle of the gold zone

"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 pinhole

First recorded in 1670–80; pin + 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.

The Olympics are an incredible showcase but also a pinhole sample—a once-every-four-years event in which glory and disaster can come down to hundredths of seconds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

If you don't have access to eclipse glasses, you can create a simple pinhole camera with just two sheets of cardboard or even use a colander to project the Sun's image safely onto the ground.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2025

Then, facing away from the sun, allow light to stream through this pinhole.

From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2024

She describes the hundreds of tiny crescent “baby eclipses” that formed in the shadows when vines and leaves acted like pinhole cameras.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2024

The pinhole camera concealed in the locator had worked perfectly.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

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