holed up

Definition of holed upnext
past tense of hole up
as in hid
to remain out of sight we'll hole up in the cellar and wait out the hurricane

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of holed up Miraculously, the popular Grammy-winning DJ and musician holed up with his laptop computer and a MIDI controller in New Zealand to conjure up these nerve-jangling tracks to match up with and enhance his Lovecraftian horrors on a hostile remote exoplanet. Jeff Spry, Space.com, 15 Apr. 2026 When officers arrived, Martinez holed up inside the home and held police at bay until he was coaxed into surrendering. Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026 They had been holed up in French diplomatic premises in Iran since their release from prison in November. Sarah Dean, NBC news, 7 Apr. 2026 When he isn’t holed up doing taxidermy, her protective physician husband (Ted Levine) stalks around the cabin angrily. Judy Berman, Time, 26 Mar. 2026 Currently, the Connecticut resident has been holed up at home after slipping on the stoop at his old friend Marsha Mason’s house. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026 The idea was hatched during the pandemic, when Kevin and Kyra were holed up together and going stir crazy. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026 Pouya Akhgari, 22, is holed up in a family house with aunts and cousins in a village 200 kilometers (120 miles) from his home in the capital, Tehran. ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026 Klæbo acknowledged that some of his race-winning efforts exhausted him, including one that left him holed up in his hotel room playing video games the day afterward. Nathaniel Herz, NPR, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holed up
lurked
Verb
  • But within the house, violence lurked like flammable gas.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
  • The short answer is that a wide gulf exists between rumor and fact and Swalwell lurked in that gray space, living and thriving in the shadows between provability and denial.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Holed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holed%20up. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.

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