Definition

Noun: A very small hole, typically one made by or as if by the point of a pin.

Usage

A "pinhole" is a minute opening or puncture. It is often used to describe a defect, a deliberately made aperture for light or viewing, or a hole of a specific, very small size. * The film was ruined because there was a pinhole in the camera's light seal. * We observed the solar eclipse safely using a pinhole projector. * The leak was caused by a tiny pinhole in the rubber hose.

Advanced Usage

• Pinhole camera: A simple camera without a lens, where a small pinhole serves as the aperture to project an inverted image.
  • We built a pinhole camera out of a shoebox for the photography project.
• Pinhole leak: A very small leak, especially in a pipe or container, often difficult to detect.
  • The plumber found a pinhole leak in the copper piping.

Variants and Related Words

• Pinhole (verb, rare): To make a pinhole or pinholes in something.
  • The artist pinholes the paper to create a pattern of light.

Synonyms

• Perforation
• Puncture
• Perforation
• Aperture (when referring to a deliberate opening)

Related Phrases

• Like a pinhole: Used to emphasize the small size of an opening.
  • The only source of light was a crack in the door, small like a pinhole.

Noun

1. a small puncture that might have been made by a pin