hole up

verb

holed up; holing up; holes 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

• hide
• lie
• lurk
• repose
• skulk

Examples of hole up in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Everyone was there, holed up in some random hotel room, all just staring at her. —Alex Ross, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025

Ramos pleaded guilty last August to the 2019 murder of police rookie Tara O’Sullivan, who had accompanied Ramos’ former girlfriend to retrieve her belongings from the Del Paso Heights home where he was holed up and behaving erratically. —Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Jay Graber, the C.E.O. of the upstart social-media platform Bluesky, arrived in San Francisco the Sunday after Donald Trump’s reëlection and holed up in a hotel room. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025

So, in 2023, with a wellspring of material pouring out of him, Keery holed up in New York City's Electric Lady Studios with longtime collaborator Adam Thein. —EW.com, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for hole up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

Kids Definition

hole up

verb

: to take shelter in or as if in a hole or cave