Whole vs. Hole

Whole vs. Hole — Is There a Difference?
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Difference Between Whole and Hole

Wholeadjective

Entire.

I ate a whole fish.

Holenoun

A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit; an opening in or through a solid body, a fabric, etc.; a perforation; a rent; a fissure.

There’s a hole in my shoe.Her stocking has a hole in it.

Wholeadjective

Sound, uninjured, healthy.

He is of whole mind, but the same cannot be said about his physical state.

Holenoun

An opening in a solid.

There’s a hole in my bucket.

Wholeadjective

(of food) From which none of its constituents has been removed.

whole wheat;whole milk

Holenoun

(heading) In games.

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Wholeadverb

(colloquial) In entirety; entirely; wholly.

I ate a fish whole!

Holenoun

(golf) A subsurface standard-size hole, also called cup, hitting the ball into which is the object of play. Each hole, of which there are usually eighteen as the standard on a full course, is located on a prepared surface, called the green, of a particular type grass.

Wholenoun

Something complete, without any parts missing.

This variety of fascinating details didn't fall together into an enjoyable, coherent whole.

Holenoun

(golf) The part of a game in which a player attempts to hit the ball into one of the holes.

I played 18 holes yesterday.The second hole today cost me three strokes over par.

Wholenoun

An entirety.

Holenoun

(baseball) The rear portion of the defensive team between the shortstop and the third baseman.

The shortstop ranged deep into the hole to make the stop.
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Wholenoun

all of something including all its component elements or parts;

Europe considered as a wholethe whole of American literature

Holenoun

(chess) A square on the board, with some positional significance, that a player does not, and cannot in future, control with a friendly pawn.

Wholenoun

an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity;

how big is that part compared to the whole?the team is a unit

Holenoun

(stud poker) A card (also called a hole card) dealt face down thus unknown to all but its holder; the status in which such a card is.

Wholeadjective

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete;

gave his whole attentiona whole wardrobe for the tropicsthe whole hoga whole weekthe baby cried the whole trip homea whole loaf of bread

Holenoun

In the game of fives, part of the floor of the court between the step and the pepperbox.

Wholeadjective

(of siblings) having the same parents;

whole brothers and sisters

Holenoun

An excavation pit or trench.

Wholeadjective

exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health;

hale and heartywhole in mind and bodya whole person again

Holenoun

(figuratively) A weakness, a flaw

I have found a hole in your argument.

Wholeadverb

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (`whole' is often used informally for `wholly');

he was wholly convincedentirely satisfied with the mealit was completely different from what we expectedwas completely at faulta totally new situationthe directions were all wrongit was not altogether her faultan altogether new approacha whole new idea

Holenoun

(informal) A container or receptacle.

car hole;brain hole

Holenoun

(physics) In semiconductors, a lack of an electron in an occupied band behaving like a positively charged particle.

Holenoun

(computing) A security vulnerability in software which can be taken advantage of by an exploit.

Holenoun

(slang anatomy) An orifice, in particular the anus. When used with shut it always refers to the mouth.

Just shut your hole!

Holenoun

Sex, or a sex partner.

Are you going out to get your hole tonight?

Holenoun

Solitary confinement, a high-security prison cell often used as punishment.

Holenoun

(slang) An undesirable place to live or visit; a hovel.

His apartment is a hole!

Holenoun

(figurative) Difficulty, in particular, debt.

If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

Holenoun

(graph theory) A chordless cycle in a graph.

Holeverb

(transitive) To make holes in (an object or surface).

Shrapnel holed the ship's hull.

Holeverb

To destroy.

She completely holed the argument.

Holeverb

(intransitive) To go into a hole.

Holeverb

(transitive) To drive into a hole, as an animal, or a billiard ball or golf ball.

Woods holed a standard three foot putt

Holeverb

(transitive) To cut, dig, or bore a hole or holes in.

to hole a post for the insertion of rails or bars

Holenoun

an opening into or through something

Holenoun

an opening deliberately made in or through something

Holenoun

one playing period (from tee to green) on a golf course;

he played 18 holes

Holenoun

an unoccupied space

Holenoun

a depression hollowed out of solid matter

Holenoun

a fault;

he shot holes in my argument

Holenoun

informal terms for a difficult situation;

he got into a terrible fixhe made a muddle of his marriage

Holenoun

informal terms for the mouth

Holeverb

hit the ball into the hole

Holeverb

make holes in