as in lurking
to remain out of sight
we'll hole up in the cellar and wait out the hurricane
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 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
-
Finally, book eleven, Bernard Malmud’s The Fixer, was found lurking on a twelfth-grade syllabus.
-
To figure out why, an international team investigated the proteins lurking inside of the skeletal remains.
Verb
-
Police officers responding to Leslie Martin’s call and separate reports of a break-in found Doug Martin hiding in a neighbor’s home.
-
The film is a modern take on the creature horror film told from the perspective of a young boy who slowly begins to discover that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature.
Verb
-
Officers found McFarland lying dead in the parking lot.
-
Pompeii, lying 14 miles southeast of Naples and part of the Roman Empire when it was destroyed, has fascinated history buffs ever since it was excavated in the 18th century.
Cite this Entry
“Holing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holing%20up. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
