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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Lucy and Elsa have built their lives around men who may have dark sides lurking.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
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The Wolves rushed shots in and around the paint all night because Wembanyama was always lurking.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Verb
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The Dodge County District Attorney’s Office also formally charged Aaron with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse, the sheriff’s office said.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
20 May 2026
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The companies submitted the request Monday after a criminal indictment accused the operator, Synergy Marine Private Limited, and an employee of failing to comply with maritime safety laws, falsifying inspections, and hiding dangerous conditions on the ship.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Nymphal Deer ticks, which hatched from last year's eggs and spent the winter lying dormant under leaf litter, emerge en masse in June.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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OpenAI is already in a legal battle with its estranged cofounder Elon Musk, in which CEO Sam Altman was accused of lying about his plans for the company; the judge heard closing arguments yesterday.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holing%20up. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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