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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There are, as usual, treasures lurking in the gathering of films being offered at this year’s Doc10 documentary film festival.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
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There’s often a wise teacher lurking in the past — in this case a teacher who advises the future actor on his name.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His son, Mojtaba, has been appointed to lead the country but remains in hiding.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
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Another click of the 7 o’clock pusher resets everything, hiding the rose-gold hands again.—
Justin Fenner,
Robb Report,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Brynn shot herself in the mouth while lying next to Phil as officers entered their home.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
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At least six other Department of Aviation workers were investigated for spending hours idling on the job, demonstrating incompetence, stealing city property, and lying during the investigation.—
Chris Tye,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Holing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/holing%20up. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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