Loophole Meaning
/ˈluːphəʊl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA slit in a castle wall; today, any similar window for shooting a ranged weapon or letting in light.
nounA method of escape, especially an ambiguity or exception in a rule or law that can be exploited in order to avoid its effect.
Sentence Examples
A loophole in the law allowed him to escape prosecution.
Tom used a legal loophole.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The clever accountant discovered a legal ____ that saved the company many thousands of dollars.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The lawyer found a clever ____ in the law that allowed his client to avoid paying a very large fine.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English loupe (“opening in a wall”) + hole, from a Germanic source. By surface analysis, loop + hole. Compare Medieval Latin loupa, lobia and Middle Dutch lupen (“to watch”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] and having a fair loophole, as it were, from a broken hole in the tree, he took a sure aim, without being seen, waiting till they were within about thirty yards of the tree, so that he could not miss."
— 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC:
"There was a loophole in this wall, to let the light in, just at the height of a person's head, who was sitting near the chimney."
— 1809, Maria Edgeworth, The Absentee:
"The sun had shifted round, and the myriad windows of the Ministry of Truth, with the light no longer shining on them, looked grim as the loopholes of a fortress."
— 1949, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, page 25:
"Coupling the poor girl's intelligence with my previous knowledge, and the result of our good friend's inquiries on the spot, I left him no loophole of escape, and laid bare the whole villany which by these lights became plain as day."
— 1838, Charles Dickens, chapter 49, in Oliver Twist, page 236:
"You have a contract that says you will work until Island Towers is finalized, which I interpret as completion of construction, or I can stop you working elsewhere. And there's no loopholes, because you drafted it and you're the best."
— 2002, Marc Lawrence, Two Weeks Notice (motion picture):
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The clever accountant discovered a legal ____ that saved the company many thousands of dollars.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The lawyer found a clever ____ in the law that allowed his client to avoid paying a very large fine.