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posthole

American  
[pohst-hohl] / ˈpoʊstˌhoʊl /

noun

  1. a hole dug in the earth for setting in the end of a post, as for a fence.

  2. Archaeology. an excavated hole showing by its shape and by the remains of wood or other debris that it was once filled by a post.

Etymology

Origin of posthole

First recorded in 1695–1705; post 1 + hole

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His grandfather could reach water with a posthole digger.

From Washington Post • Sep. 24, 2021

The Swiss Army Gardener: A handy, foldable multi-tool combining a shovel, rake, hoe, hacksaw, pitchfork, pruning shears and posthole digger.

From Washington Post • Apr. 4, 2019

General Barco merely dug pits for his oil, once struck seepage with a posthole digger.

From Time Magazine Archive

I pull on my ski boots, head uphill and welcome back winter one dumb posthole step at a time.

From Time Magazine Archive

The new posts were thicker and longer than the old ones, so Finn and Miguel took turns with the posthole digger to widen and deepen the hole.

From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.