pothole

[ pot-hohl ]

See synonyms for pothole on Thesaurus.com

noun

a deep hole; pit.
a hole formed in pavement, as by excessive use or by extremes of weather.

a more or less cylindrical hole formed in rock by the grinding action of the detrital material in eddying water.
a cave opening vertically from the ground surface.

Origin of pothole

First recorded in 1820–30; pot¹ + hole

Words Nearby pothole

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

How to use pothole in a sentence

An officer is heard in the video suggesting that it stemmed from the city’s Get It Done app, which is primarily portrayed as a platform for residents to report non-emergencies like potholes and graffiti.
Court Tosses Case After SDPD Fails to Turn Over Evidence | Jesse Marx | August 12, 2021 | Voice of San Diego
The effortless acceleration and engaging steering are sublime, especially when dodging potholes and wayward delivery trucks.
Sport sedans make spirited return | Joe Phillips | March 19, 2021 | Washington Blade
This means San Diegans could face a year of steep cuts to library hours and park programs, even slower pothole repairs and other cuts to services.
Create a Budget Around Our Aspirations, Not Our Limits | Felicia Shaw, Makeda Cheatom and Micah Parzen | March 2, 2021 | Voice of San Diego
As a result, some city streets appear to be largely neglected, marked by cracks and potholes.
Lemon Grove Once Again Facing Bitter Choices Over Its Future | Bella Ross | January 8, 2021 | Voice of San Diego
With its culture of listening, Trek steered right around the potential pothole.
How Trek Bicycles has kept a great culture rolling in a fast-moving 2020 | lbelanger225 | November 23, 2020 | Fortune

Keep in mind, the U.S. can barely keep its government open, fix a pothole, or move a train 45 miles in an hour in this country.
Tesla Looks Like a Bubble, Will It Pop? | Daniel Gross | March 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A gentleman named Lee Daly from Dublin, Ireland asked Booker for help with a pothole in front of his house.
When Politicians Tweet One-Liners | Ben Jacobs | February 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
March 17, 2005 – 7:21 p.m. Type: 911 Subject: Maintenance Report: pothole “that is blocking the road” 4.
George Zimmerman’s History of 911 Calls: A Complete Log | Matthew DeLuca | March 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
When Baker took office, it took 2½ years to fill a pothole in St. Petersburg.
America's Greatest Mayor? | John Avlon | May 10, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
They were moving around the base of a small knoll when Larkwell's foot struck a pothole in the ash and he stumbled.
First on the Moon | Jeff Sutton
The carriage slumped into a pothole, and a spring seemed to snap.
When the Owl Cries | Paul Bartlett

British Dictionary definitions for pothole

pothole

/ (ˈpɒtˌhəʊl) /

noun

geography
- a deep hole in limestone areas resulting from action by running water: See also sinkhole (def. 1)
- a circular hole in the bed of a river produced by abrasion
a deep hole, esp one produced in a road surface by wear or weathering

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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