plughole

1 2.8

The hole in a sink or bath where a plug fits and water goes down

noun
/ˈplʌɡhoʊl/

: desagüe

And here's the sink basin and the plughole, right?

Examples

Why's it got a plughole and a tap, then?

The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)
His plughole is blocked, right?

Lorenzo's Oil (1992)
Look at that plughole.

#FollowMe (2019)
And from there, he took the 2:30 to Weybridge, changed at Clapham Junction, asked a... a passing mallard the way to Buckingham Palace, swam up The Thames, out through the plughole and gave the cook, Mama and Mrs. Whittaker quite a shock.

The King's Speech (2010)
The water drained quickly through the plughole after I washed the dishes.
He noticed that the plughole in the bathtub was getting clogged with hair.
Make sure to clean the plughole regularly to prevent any blockages.

Synonyms

hole

vsplughole

∞ 1.0

An opening in something, often made by people or nature

is specifically the sink or bath drain that fits a removable stopper

outlet

vsplughole

16 2.8

An opening that lets water or gas flow out

is a specific drain that also holds a removable stopper for water

Surface Forms

plughole singular

plugholes plural

Morphology

plughole = plug + hole (transparent) = plug + hole

A straightforward compound 'plug' + 'hole' meaning the hole that receives a plug, which B1 learners can derive from its parts.

Etymology

Plughole comes from the two simple words plug and hole; a plug is a 'stopper' and a hole is an 'opening', so a plughole is the opening where the plug fits. That's why a plughole is the hole in a sink or bath through which water drains away.