mole
1
7.7
- noun
- /moʊl/
- UK
- As the boat approached the mole, sailors could see fishermen unloading their catches on the dock.
- harbor mole
- coastal mole
- build a mole
Examples
-
The construction of the new mole will help protect the harbor from stronger waves during storms.
-
If anything else sinks here, the mole's blocked and we're stuffed.
-
Moles and jetties were scoured from the rims of harbors.
Fiction book (1998) -
She swam between the island and the mainland until she found a submerged mole or breakwater a few yards below the surface, constructed of parallel stone walls filled with rubble.
Fiction book (2000) -
Tourists often walk along the mole to enjoy the sunset while watching boats come and go.
Synonyms
11
8.6
A strong wall built to protect a place like a city or ship
11
3.9
A strong wall built along the shore to protect land from the sea
11
5.1
A long wall that goes from the shore into the sea to protect the coast from waves
4
6.4
A wall built out into the sea to protect a coast or harbor from waves
1
9.1
A wall built from the shore into the sea to stop sand washing away
1
9.9
A low stone or concrete wall that sticks out from a beach to stop the sea from washing away sand
Compounds
2
7.3
A small almost hairless African animal that lives underground in large groups like ants
- South African
1
9.9
A small burrowing mammal from western Africa that lives in underground colonies
1
9.7
A small brownish-black animal like a frog that lives underground and comes out to lay eggs
- Australian
1
9.7
A small Australian animal that lives underground and carries its babies in a pouch
- South African
1
9.2
A small animal from southern Africa that lives underground and has shiny fur
1
9.9
A small North American mole that lives in wet ground with a pink nose of many tentacles to find food
1
9.6
A large insect with strong front legs that digs tunnels in soft soil and eats plant roots
1
9.3
A small burrowing animal with a long nose and tail that digs with strong front feet
A small mole from eastern North America with soft fur that lives mostly underground
- Specialized
A small mole with a long pointed snout that lives underground and eats insects
A small burrowing animal from eastern Asia that looks like a shrew and a mole
- Specialized
A small animal that lives underground with a short furry tail found in eastern North America
- Specialized
A pregnancy condition where tissue grows into many fluid-filled sacs instead of a baby
- Specialized
A rare growth in the womb during early pregnancy that forms fluid-filled cysts and often causes loss of the baby
- Specialized
A larger female in a colony of naked mole rats who is the only one to have babies
- Australian
A small Australian burrowing animal with a pouch for its young that looks like a mole
A small mole found in eastern North America that lives in water and has many pink tentacles on its nose
Surface Forms
Etymology
Mole (harbour structure) comes from the Latin word moles, meaning 'mass' or 'large pile'. That's why a harbour mole is a big mass of stone built into the water to stop waves and protect the shore.