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post hole

post hole

1 2.8
A hole dug in the ground to hold a fence post
  • noun
  • /poʊst hoʊl/
translation icon : hoyo de poste
  • To build the fence, we dug several post holes along the property line.
  • post hole digger
  • dig post holes

Examples

  • When installing the sign, make sure to dig deep enough post holes to secure it firmly.

  • Then the hole was enlarged using a hand post-hole auger to approximately 0.24 m in diameter and deepened to approximately 0.52 m.

    Academic text (2009)
  • And when you got that I need two rows of post holes running up both sides.

  • For men who were digging post holes or building roadways and wanted to find work of greater humanitarian importance during the war, the opportunity was very attractive.

    Academic text (1992)
  • After a week of digging fence post holes (3 feet deep in clay) by hand, my husband said he was really, really proud of the fence.

    Blog text (23)
  • I say this as someone who has spent plenty of hours mowing lawns, chopping wood, digging post holes, weeding yards, fixing sinks, dragging trash bins, etc.

    Blog text (4)
  • The carpenter explained how to properly fill the post holes after installing the new fence.

Synonyms

hole
vspost hole
1.0

An opening in something, often made by people or nature

is a specific dug opening for holding an upright support
posthole
vspost hole
1 3.7

A hole dug in the ground to hold a fence post

is the same meaning but written as two separate words

How Deep

borehole
  • Specialized
4 6.8
pit
230 3.6
post hole
1 2.8
depression
  • Specialized
11 5.3

Surface Forms

post hole singular
post holes plural

Morphology

post + hole

This is a straightforward noun–noun compound whose meaning (‘a hole for a post’) is directly compositional from 'post' (an upright stake) + 'hole' (an opening). The same transparent construction is common cross-linguistically and follows a standard English compound pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Post hole comes from the simple image of a post and a hole. You dig a hole in the ground to put a post into it, so the term means 'a hole dug to hold a fence post'.