huddled; huddling
ˈhəd-liŋ 
ˈhə-dᵊl-iŋ
1
British
: to arrange carelessly or hurriedly
the solemnities had to be huddled through at express speed—
Manchester Examiner
Manchester Examiner2
a
: to crowd together
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free …—Emma Lazarus
Emma Lazarus
b
: to draw (oneself) together : crouch
People were huddled around their radios.
3
: to wrap oneself closely in
huddled her coat around her
1
a
: to gather in a close-packed group
They huddled around the campfire.
b
: to curl up : crouch
Students huddled over their desks.
2
a
: to hold a consultation
huddled to discuss the proposal
b
football
: to gather away from the line of scrimmage to receive instructions (as from the quarterback) for the next down (see down entry 5 sense 3b) : to gather in a huddle (see huddle entry 2 sense 2b)
1
: a close-packed group : bunch
huddles of children
a huddle of cottages
2
a
: meeting, conference
The boss is in a huddle with the marketing director.
b
football
: a brief gathering of players away from the line of scrimmage to receive instructions (as from the quarterback) for the next down (see down entry 5 sense 3b)
Synonyms
Examples of huddle in a Sentence
Verb
We huddled around the campfire.
The sheep huddled together for warmth.
The students huddled over their desks.
Union representatives are huddling to discuss the proposal.
Noun
sheep standing in a huddle
The boss is in a huddle with the marketing director.
The quarterback called the offense into a huddle.
Recent Examples on the WebRachel Howard, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2024
Lawyers for Trump and James huddled to reach an agreement under which Schwab will maintain the account in cash and Knight will get exclusive control of the account.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
If an opponent is making a run, the three might huddle quickly to regroup.
—Tania Ganguli, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
On Valentine's Day this year, Brady took a moment to honor all three of his Valentines, sharing a photo of his three kids all huddled up together.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Elephants huddled together towards their keeper at back of exhibit, but not at their bedtime door.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
In 2017, giraffes ran in circles, flamingos huddled together and rhinos looked confused at the Nashville Zoo, the Associated Press reported.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
Burger fans withstood snow and heavy hail, with people huddled under umbrellas and sporting thick puffer coats, to dine at the restaurant on opening day.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
They were decked in blue, huddling in groups and dancing along to energetic music to shake off the predawn chill.
—Claire O’Callahan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
There was no evidence that digging had resumed, but not far off were signs of another miners’ camp: a huddle of plastic tents barely visible beneath the tree canopy.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Once Miller’s point guard and still USC’s all-time assists leader, Windham found herself in the middle of an end-of-practice huddle.
—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 28 Feb. 2024
Flamingos gathered together, putting their young at the center of their huddle.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
LeBron James, the benefactor of two days of rest, came out of the huddle on the next play and turned the ball over for the third time in the third quarter leading to an easy Kings fast break.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Maye jogs back to the huddle after connecting on all 16 passes.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 29 Mar. 2024
The Chiefs appeared to settle — defensive tackle Chris Jones called a huddle on the sideline to have a meeting of the entire defense — but this is rather uncharted territory for the more experienced team on this stage.
—Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2024
Miles took a seat in the huddle and started furiously scribbling on the whiteboard in his lap.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2024
Verb
Ancient Messene must have seemed like a backwater in comparison — a waterlogged valley in the southwestern Peloponnese, huddled against the slopes of Mount Ithomi.
—Rachel Howard, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2024
Lawyers for Trump and James huddled to reach an agreement under which Schwab will maintain the account in cash and Knight will get exclusive control of the account.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
If an opponent is making a run, the three might huddle quickly to regroup.
—Tania Ganguli, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
On Valentine's Day this year, Brady took a moment to honor all three of his Valentines, sharing a photo of his three kids all huddled up together.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Elephants huddled together towards their keeper at back of exhibit, but not at their bedtime door.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
In 2017, giraffes ran in circles, flamingos huddled together and rhinos looked confused at the Nashville Zoo, the Associated Press reported.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
Burger fans withstood snow and heavy hail, with people huddled under umbrellas and sporting thick puffer coats, to dine at the restaurant on opening day.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
They were decked in blue, huddling in groups and dancing along to energetic music to shake off the predawn chill.
—Claire O’Callahan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
In short, the Chiefs’ play from the huddle was not going to work.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
There was no evidence that digging had resumed, but not far off were signs of another miners’ camp: a huddle of plastic tents barely visible beneath the tree canopy.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Once Miller’s point guard and still USC’s all-time assists leader, Windham found herself in the middle of an end-of-practice huddle.
—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 28 Feb. 2024
Flamingos gathered together, putting their young at the center of their huddle.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
LeBron James, the benefactor of two days of rest, came out of the huddle on the next play and turned the ball over for the third time in the third quarter leading to an easy Kings fast break.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Maye jogs back to the huddle after connecting on all 16 passes.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 29 Mar. 2024
The Chiefs appeared to settle — defensive tackle Chris Jones called a huddle on the sideline to have a meeting of the entire defense — but this is rather uncharted territory for the more experienced team on this stage.
—Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2024
Miles took a seat in the huddle and started furiously scribbling on the whiteboard in his lap.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'huddle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Huddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/huddle. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
huddle
2 of 2 noun1
: a close-packed group : bunch
2
b
: a brief gathering of football players away from the line of scrimmage to hear instructions for the next play
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