Foxhole
noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 The burrow in the ground where a fox lives.
- 2 a small dugout with a pit for individual shelter against enemy fire wordnet
- 3 A small pit dug into the ground as a shelter for protection against enemy fire.
"The statement made during the Second World War that “there are no atheists in foxholes” is absurd. Foxholes teem with atheists—who, to be sure, frequently infringe the Third Commandment in their desperation."
- 1 To dig a military foxhole into, or convert into a foxhole by digging. transitive
"Trogh and Charlie have started foxholing one corner of our tent, and I helped them a little."
- 2 To drive into a military foxhole. transitive
"[…] the vet recalled with terrible anguish a scene where he and his friend had been foxholed several dozen yards apart, with a small group of enemy soldiers (Viet Cong) coming toward them over the crest of a hill."
Example
More examples"The soldier took shelter in the foxhole."
Etymology
From Middle English foxhol, from Old English foxhol, equivalent to fox + hole.
Related phrases
More for "foxhole"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.