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

Examples of hole up in a Sentence

we'll hole up in the cellar and wait out the hurricane
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Siwa holed up there recently with her dancers and team to prepare for a European tour. Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025 LaSota; Zajko, who was wanted for allegedly arming Maland’s murderers; and Daniel Blank, a third Zizian, were discovered holed up in box trucks, dressed in all black and heavily armed. Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2025 The setup for Black Phone 2 is that Ethan Hawke’s The Grabber is out there in the real world, not holed up in some neighborhood house in 1970s suburbia. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025 Friends are holed up in bars near downtown, watching NFL games and sharing laughs over brunch plates. Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hole up

Word History

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of hole up was in 1875

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hole up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hole%20up. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

hole up

verb
: to take shelter in or as if in a hole or cave
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!