five-hole

noun

ice hockey
: the space between the legs of a goaltender
A blast through the five-hole of Montreal's Jeff Hackett gave the Panthers a 1–0 lead 13:33 into the game.David Neal

Examples of five-hole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jackson Merrill will remain in the five-hole, between Sheets and shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2025 And a five-hole dagger of a lamp-lighter to cement the Sailors’ 4-2 Class 4A title victory over Glenwood Springs, giving the school its first team championship since 1998. Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 3 Mar. 2025 More Getty Images Potgieter's victory came after a gruelling five-hole playoff against Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk. Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025 Merrill has spent 39 games in the four-hole, four games in the five-hole and one in the two-hole. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025 Espada slid Walker to the five-hole before the series opener against the White Sox on Tuesday. Chandler Rome, New York Times, 11 June 2025 Two days after a run-in with the left-field wall at Petco Park, Gavin Sheets is back in the lineup — at DH and in the five-hole — for Game 2 at Oracle Park. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2025 Wilson quickly realized Andersen was still on his skates and tried to shoot five-hole, but was denied by the stick paddle. Jesse Granger, New York Times, 19 May 2025 Nick Paul beat Sergei Bobrovsky five-hole to put the Lightning up 2-1 with 6:43 left in the second period. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of five-hole was in 1980

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Five-hole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/five-hole. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!