Words / B1

MANH-ohl/ˈmænhəʊl/

A manhole is a covered hole in a road or pavement that workers lift to reach sewers, pipes, or cables. The lid is a manhole cover. Not a hole for a person to live in — it is an access point. Countable. Cones often mark an open manhole.

Meaning

A covered hole in the street that workers use to reach pipes or cables below.

Examples

• “The council left a cone by the open manhole on the high street.”
• “A loose manhole cover rattles every time a bus goes over it.”
• “Do not walk on an open manhole; wait for the workers to replace the cover.”

Good to know

a manhole / a manhole cover. Contrast: a pothole (damage, not an access point). council / utility workers.

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