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
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
Rheana Murray, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for holing up
Verb
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Folklore portrays them as menacing figures lurking in the darkness who can possess those who wander too far from home.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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Prices start at just $8 in the Halloween Shop, and witches and ghosts aren’t the only things lurking in there.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Word of the raid spread across the property, triggering a scramble among workers who attempted to flee, with some running to a sewage pond and others hiding in air ducts.—
Caroll Alvarado,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
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There’s no Nurse Ratched here, however, but there is the kindly Steve, who watches out for all of them, especially Shy, who is hiding a secret from the others.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Maddie hides her binging and purging from Deena and Jake, lying about being pregnant to distract her husband from what’s really going on.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
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Locally heavy rain will quickly reduce visibility and result in ponding of water on roadways, standing water in low lying areas, and minor flooding of creeks, streams, and areas of poor drainage.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Holing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holing%20up. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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