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
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Created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, The Boroughs followed a group of older misfits at a retirement community who become entangled in an otherworldly mystery lurking beneath them.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 June 2026
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The breakthrough points to a supermassive black hole lurking at the center of our galaxy.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Resourceful and determined to remain unseen, Becky is hiding deep in the woods while planning her own escape.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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Consider, too, that another longtime passion of Swift’s is hiding in plain sight.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
18 June 2026
Verb
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These fish enter a hibernation-like state when the water temperature drops below 45 degrees, lying inactively on river and lake bottoms until spring warms things again.—
Keith Sutton,
Outdoor Life,
18 June 2026
-
Your activity dashboards aren't lying.—
Mark Hull,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holing%20up. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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