Standard Lemma guide

manhole

noun · 5 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.

  • UK: /ˈmænhəʊl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M AE1 N HH OW2 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A hole providing access to the inside of a boiler, tank etc.

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

The anus of man, in a sexual context.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:manhole.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The vulva or vagina of a trans man.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a hole (usually with a flush cover) through which a person can gain access to an underground structure

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hole

History

Etymology

From man + hole.

Across languages

Translations

53 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: մտոց (mtocʻ) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Armenian: լյուկ (lyuk) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Bulgarian: шахта (šahta) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Chinese Mandarin: 沙井 (shājǐng) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Chinese Mandarin: 窨井 (yìnjǐng) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Chinese Mandarin: 人孔 (rénkǒng) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Dutch: mangat — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Finnish: kulkuaukko — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Finnish: katukaivo — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • French: regard d'égout — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • French: trou d'homme — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • German: Mannloch — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • German: Kontrollschacht — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • German: Einstiegsloch — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • German: Gully — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Icelandic: mannop — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Icelandic: mannsmuga — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Indonesian: lubang got — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Indonesian: lubang pengerjaan — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Indonesian: lubang orang — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Indonesian: tutup parit — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Indonesian: tutupan selokan — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Irish: dúnpholl — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Italian: tombino — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Japanese: マンホール (manhōru) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Japanese: 人孔 (jinkō) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Korean: 맨홀 (maenhol) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Macedonian: шахта (šahta) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Malay: lubang orang — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Malay: lurang — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kum — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Norwegian Bokmål: mannhull — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kum — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Polish: właz — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Portuguese: bueiro — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Portuguese: poço de visita — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Russian: люк (ljuk) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Russian: лаз (laz) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Serbo-Croatian: шахт — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Serbo-Croatian: šaht — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Sicilian: rigana — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Sicilian: rijana — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Spanish: pozo — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Spanish: alcantarilla — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Spanish: pozo de visita — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Spanish: pozo registral — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Swedish: gatubrunn — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Swedish: manhål — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Tagalog: embornal — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Turkish: rögar — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Ukrainian: люк (ljuk) — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Venetan: gatoło — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
  • Welsh: twll archwilio — a hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations
Real reading context

manhole in complete knowledge articles