as in lurking
to remain out of sight
we'll hole up in the cellar and wait out the hurricane
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Recent Examples of holing up
But after holing up Sunday in his apartment 90 steps from the beach in the historic Zona Romantica, Eure was ready to venture outside.
—
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Amir and Miri share their memories of holing up in a lightless, airless concrete room with two children under the age of 5, trying desperately to remain quiet.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2025
Now teens were holing up in garages across America in an attempt to create their own versions of the Fab Four.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
And at the very least, Damour said, kids won’t get a chance to develop the habit of holing up in their bedroom with their phone and never coming out.
—Rheana Murray, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2025
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Amir and Miri share their memories of holing up in a lightless, airless concrete room with two children under the age of 5, trying desperately to remain quiet.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2025
Now teens were holing up in garages across America in an attempt to create their own versions of the Fab Four.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
And at the very least, Damour said, kids won’t get a chance to develop the habit of holing up in their bedroom with their phone and never coming out.
—Rheana Murray, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holing up
Verb
-
Orange County commissioner Nicole Wilson, who represents the west Orange County district where the Skywalker Smoke & Vape Shop and nearby Olympia High School are close neighbors, cited the business as an example of a danger lurking conspicuously in plain sight.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
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That virus lies dormant in our bodies for years after an infection, lurking in the root of a nerve.—
Ashley Milne-Tyte,
NPR,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The fourth-largest barrier reef in the world, Anegada's Horseshoe Reef draws beginner snorkelers and dedicated divers to colorful corals hiding sublime marine life.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
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This is a pipeline-optionality story hiding inside a cash-flow machine.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Zach is hunched over a bowl of fruit-adjacent cereal studying a Calvin and Hobbes book lying open on the counter.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Subsequent House Speaker Tom Finneran pleaded guilty to lying under oath in 2007 and left the Legislature.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holing%20up. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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