hole up

holed up; holing up; holes up

Definition of hole up

intransitive verb

: to hide out in or as if in a hole or cave

transitive verb

: to place in or as if in a refuge or hiding place

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about hole up

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Examples of hole up in a Sentence

we'll hole up in the cellar and wait out the hurricane

Recent Examples on the Web Retreat to the lake along with the rest of the Donner Party and hole up in those cabins. — Cody Cassidy, Wired, "The Case for Cannibalism, or: How to Survive the Donner Party," 13 Jan. 2021 The kind of person who wants to hole up in a room and write 80,000 words is not necessarily the kind of person who loves to be the center of attention. — Kate Knibbs, Wired, "Zoom Book Tours: 5 Authors on Publishing in a Pandemic," 1 Jan. 2021 But in the days leading up to Christmas, some who hunger for time with relatives are striking deals with family members to hole up in their individual homes. — Kevyn Burger Special To The Star Tribune, Star Tribune, "Despite health officials' advice, some Minnesotans are self-quarantining and planning to gather for Christmas," 13 Dec. 2020 Some players could, theoretically, ask their families to come down and rent an apartment and hole up with them, assuming everyone could get tested. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "49ers’ biggest foe in December will be their separation from loved ones," 1 Dec. 2020 Maggie and Thomas More hole up back at the palace, just in case they were infected. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "Historical observations from The Spanish Princess: Bastards, treason, and plague, oh my!," 9 Nov. 2020 Many have dug in on one side or the other — mask up or stay uncovered, go out or hole up, avoid the virus or get infected and boost herd immunity. — Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska’s second wave of COVID-19 is bringing surging daily case counts, more hospitalizations and a new foe: fatalism.," 26 Oct. 2020 Huderson proceeded to cut back to his right on a run to the left, wait patiently for his blocks on another run around right end and make a subtle move to find a hole up the middle. — G Smith, NOLA.com, "Finally his time: Senior running back Stephon Huderson carrying the load for Tulane," 22 Oct. 2020 Only marsupials emerge smaller‚ and that’s because their babies get to hole up in their mothers’ pouches to finish developing. — Amy Mckeever, National Geographic, "Born blind, pink, and entirely helpless, here’s how giant pandas grow up," 6 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hole up.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

24 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Hole up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hole%20up. Accessed 27 Jan. 2021.

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