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
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
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
-
The crux of contention, Nemmen says, is just how much ionized gas a cocoon would hold, and thus how much electron scattering would interfere with measuring a lurking black hole’s actual mass.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
14 Jan. 2026
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The cases remained unsolved for decades as the sleepy Long Island community reeled over the possibility of a serial killer lurking in their midst.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Right now, the overstock outlet is hiding miracle-working gardening tools, like this $4 gardening hoe and a $7 weed puller.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Even the front door had been hiding back there for who knows how long, just waiting to be salvaged.—
Gina Mayfield,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Believe her or your lying eyes.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Ultimately Giovanna learns that, to a certain degree, all of the adults in her life are lying—to themselves as well as others.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holing%20up. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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