pothole

Thân thiện

A car drives carefully around a large pothole in the street.

Definition

Noun: 1. A hole or depression in a road surface: A pothole is a bowl-shaped or cylindrical hole that forms in the pavement of a road or street, typically caused by the combined effects of traffic, water, and weather, which weakens and breaks apart the surface material. 2. (Geology) A deep, circular hole in a riverbed or rocky surface: In geology, a pothole (or kettle) can refer to a smooth, often cylindrical cavity worn into rock by the grinding action of stones and sediment carried by swirling water.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Road surface):

  • The car's suspension was damaged after hitting a deep pothole on the highway.
  • The city council has promised to repair the potholes on this street by the end of the month.
  • Drivers swerved to avoid the large pothole filled with rainwater.

• Noun (Geological feature):

  • The river had carved beautiful, smooth potholes into the granite over thousands of years.
  • We saw several deep potholes in the limestone bed of the stream.

Advanced Usage

• "Pothole-ridden" (adjective): Describing a road or surface that is full of many potholes.
  • The pothole-ridden alley was nearly impassable for delivery trucks.

Variants and Related Words

• Potholing (noun, British English): The recreational activity of exploring underground caves and passages; caving or spelunking. (Note: This meaning is distinct from the road defect but shares the same root word, implying exploration of holes).
• Chuckhole (noun, North American): A synonym for a pothole in a road.

Synonyms

• (For road defect): Chuckhole, cavity, depression, rut, crater.
• (For geological feature): Kettle, plunge pool, erosion hollow.

Related Phrases

• To develop a pothole: Used to describe the process of a pothole forming.
  • The road began to develop a pothole after the severe winter freeze.
• Pothole repair / Pothole filling: Common compound terms describing the maintenance action.
  • Crews are scheduled for pothole repair on Main Street tomorrow.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a pit or hole produced by wear or weathering (especially in a road surface)

Từ đồng nghĩa

• chuckhole