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Recent Examples of holed up
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
A lot of it was just that — holed up in a house.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 28 Dec. 2025
The man, who was not named, holed up for at least three hours inside the house as sheriff’s deputies waited outside for a SWAT team to arrive.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 22 Dec. 2025
They were holed up there for nearly a month and stayed largely in their room, staff said Thursday, before returning to Sydney where they are accused of killing 15 people at a beachside Hanukkah event.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025
Manila — The father and son suspected of carrying out Sunday’s Bondi Beach massacre holed up in a hotel for most of their almost month-long stay in the Philippines in November, rarely left their rooms and dined on fast food, a hotel employee told CNN.
—Jinky Jorgio, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
Churches and volunteers across the city collected and delivered food to families holed up at home.
—Jim Morrill, Charlotte Observer, 11 Dec. 2025
Agnes goes to check in on Nora, who’s struggled with depression for years and has recently holed up in her apartment with no contact.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
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
A lot of it was just that — holed up in a house.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 28 Dec. 2025
The man, who was not named, holed up for at least three hours inside the house as sheriff’s deputies waited outside for a SWAT team to arrive.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 22 Dec. 2025
They were holed up there for nearly a month and stayed largely in their room, staff said Thursday, before returning to Sydney where they are accused of killing 15 people at a beachside Hanukkah event.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 18 Dec. 2025
Manila — The father and son suspected of carrying out Sunday’s Bondi Beach massacre holed up in a hotel for most of their almost month-long stay in the Philippines in November, rarely left their rooms and dined on fast food, a hotel employee told CNN.
—Jinky Jorgio, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
Churches and volunteers across the city collected and delivered food to families holed up at home.
—Jim Morrill, Charlotte Observer, 11 Dec. 2025
Agnes goes to check in on Nora, who’s struggled with depression for years and has recently holed up in her apartment with no contact.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holed up
lurked
Verb
-
As Leclerc and Russell exchanged moves for the lead through the opening stages, Hamilton lurked just behind, waiting for any opportunity that may arise.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Jokic has fed him hundreds of alley-oops late in games when Gordon has lurked in the short corner, behind the last line of defense.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holed%20up. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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