Standard Lemma guide

blowhole

noun · verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈbləʊhəʊl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B L OW1 HH OW2 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The spiracle, on the top of the head, through which cetaceans breathe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: marine biology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A hole in sea ice where cetaceans and pinnipeds come to breathe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A top-facing opening to a cavity in the ground very near an ocean's shore, leading to a marine cave from which wave water or bursts of air are expelled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A vent for the escape of steam or other gas.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

An unintended cavity filled with air in a casting product.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: engineering, metallurgy, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A vertical opening in the top of a computer case that lets hot air (primarily from the CPU heat sink) escape quickly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computer-hardware, computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To fill or be filled with air in an unintended cavity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

Topics: engineering, metallurgy, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

a hole for the escape of gas or air

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vent, venthole, vent-hole

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hole

Narrower terms: smoke hole

9

noun

Meaning 9

the spiracle of a cetacean located far back on the skull

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: spiracle

History

Etymology

From blow + hole.

Across languages

Translations

45 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: nəfəslik — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Azerbaijani: hava dəliyi — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Catalan: espiracle — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Chinese Mandarin: 噴氣孔 /喷气孔 (pēnqìkǒng) — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Faroese: blástur — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Finnish: ilmareikä — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Finnish: hengitysaukko — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • French: évent — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • German: Blasloch — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Greek: φυσητήρας (fysitíras) — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Ancient Greek: φυσητήρ (phusētḗr) — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Icelandic: blásturshola — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Icelandic: blástursop — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Irish: poll séidte — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Italian: sfiatatoio — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Māori: tāpihapiha — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Māori: piha — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Māori: pihapiha — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Polish: nozdrze — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Polish: otwór nosowy — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Portuguese: espiráculo — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Portuguese: respiradouro — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Russian: ды́хало (dýxalo) — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Spanish: espiráculo — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Swedish: blåshål — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Welsh: twll chwythu — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Welsh: chwythdwll — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Yiddish: בלאָזלאָך (blozlokh) — spiracle through which cetaceans breathe
  • Yiddish: אָטעמלאָך (otemlokh) — hole in sea ice through which cetaceans breathe
  • Chinese Mandarin: 吹蝕穴 /吹蚀穴 (chuīshíxué) — A top-facing opening to a cavity in the ground very near an ocean's shore, that leads to a marine cave from which wave water and/or bursts of air are expelled.
  • Bulgarian: отдушник (otdušnik) — vent for the escape of steam or other gas
  • Chinese Mandarin: 噴氣孔 /喷气孔 (pēnqìkǒng) — vent for the escape of steam or other gas
  • Finnish: kaasuonkalo — vent for the escape of steam or other gas
  • Ido: nazotruo — vent for the escape of steam or other gas
  • Italian: sfiatatoio — vent for the escape of steam or other gas
  • Portuguese: respiradouro — vent for the escape of steam or other gas
  • Russian: отду́шина (otdúšina) — vent for the escape of steam or other gas
  • Russian: вентиляцио́нное отве́рстие (ventiljaciónnoje otvérstije) — vent for the escape of steam or other gas
  • Bulgarian: шупла (šupla) — unintended cavity filled with air in a casting product
  • Dutch: gietblaas — unintended cavity filled with air in a casting product
  • Dutch: gietgal — unintended cavity filled with air in a casting product
  • Finnish: ilmakupla — unintended cavity filled with air in a casting product
  • Finnish: ilmareikä — unintended cavity filled with air in a casting product
  • German: Lunker — unintended cavity filled with air in a casting product
  • Yiddish: בלעזל (blezl) — unintended cavity filled with air in a casting product