pothole

American  

[pot-hohl] / ˈpɒtˌhoʊl /

noun

• potholes
  plural

1. a deep hole; pit.

2. a hole formed in pavement, as by excessive use or by extremes of weather.

3. a more or less cylindrical hole formed in rock by the grinding action of the detrital material in eddying water.

4. a cave opening vertically from the ground surface.

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pothole British  

/ ˈpɒtˌhəʊl /

noun

1. geography

   1. a deep hole in limestone areas resulting from action by running water See also sinkhole

   2. a circular hole in the bed of a river produced by abrasion

2. a deep hole, esp one produced in a road surface by wear or weathering

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• potholes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pothole

First recorded in 1820–30; pot ¹ + hole

Explanation

A pothole is a hole or little pit in a road. Drivers complain about potholes frequently. If you've ever felt a little bump while in a car, you probably hit a pothole: a little hole in the street caused by wear and tear. Newly paved roads are smooth and have no potholes, but potholes develop over time. Drivers hate potholes because the little bump is startling, and a big pothole could actually damage a car. Eventually, potholes are usually filled in when a road gets paved. Potholes are also called chuckholes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pothole potholes

One way to consider today’s higher rates is as a “return to normal” after the crisis pothole.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

“I think that we have to shift it away from ideological labeling to really concrete economic ideas — you know, they call her a pothole pragmatist, the DSA does. ... That’s what we need.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Cities and counties are scrambling to prepare for a potential overhaul of how they pay for all sorts of services, from policing to pothole repairs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

And then there’s the biggest pothole of all on the road to pastoral wonder:

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026

“After twenty years of living in America,” he said, swerving the truck to avoid a pothole the size of a beach ball.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Before May, he was a businessman who would drive around his home city of Wakefield wishing the potholes could be fixed.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

That’s where the group’s volunteers work in concert with Southern California Gas crews patching the scores of potholes created by extreme nature, not by radial tires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

They bemoaned the condition of roads, which are pockmarked with potholes, as well as the pace of development, which has accelerated in recent years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

For the first time, the city has also got its own detachment of mounted police officers, workers have filled in the potholes and manhole covers have finally been laid flush with the surrounding pavement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

Roy braced himself as the bike jounced through muddy potholes.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

Related Words

• crater