1
a
: a circular hole formed in the rocky bed of a river by the grinding action of stones or gravel whirled round by the water
b
: a sizable rounded often water-filled depression in land
2
: a pot-shaped hole in a road surface
3
: a usually minor difficulty or setback
hit a pothole in her comeback attempt
Examples of pothole in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Unauthorized biography is the more challenging road filled with potholes and road blocks.
—
Brendan O’Meara 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
Average wait times between reporting a pothole and crews fixing it have tripled from six days to 20 days.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2025
Many of those nuts-and-bolts ward-level services like trash pickup, tree trimming and pothole repair are now centralized through citywide street grid planning and the 311 service request system.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
Popular music also proved to be a breeding ground, with 4,000 Holes (Blackburn Rovers) paying homage to A Day in the Life by The Beatles, which features a line about how the Lancashire town’s streets had 4,000 potholes requiring repair that John Lennon lifted straight from a newspaper report.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pothole
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Brendan O’Meara 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
Average wait times between reporting a pothole and crews fixing it have tripled from six days to 20 days.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2025
Many of those nuts-and-bolts ward-level services like trash pickup, tree trimming and pothole repair are now centralized through citywide street grid planning and the 311 service request system.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025
Popular music also proved to be a breeding ground, with 4,000 Holes (Blackburn Rovers) paying homage to A Day in the Life by The Beatles, which features a line about how the Lancashire town’s streets had 4,000 potholes requiring repair that John Lennon lifted straight from a newspaper report.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pothole
Cite this Entry
“Pothole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pothole. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pothole
noun
pot·hole
ˈpät-ˌhōl 
: a deep round hole (as in a road)
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