1
as in meetings
a coming together of a number of persons for a specified purpose
after an all-night huddle, the state legislature finally approved a budget for the coming year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in clusters
a number of things considered as a unit
saw a huddle of tents that turned out to be a Scout encampment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in groups
a usually small number of persons considered as a unit
in the lobby during intermission huddles of theatergoers were excitedly discussing the play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in piles
to gather into a closely packed group
the puppies huddled together to keep warm
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 huddles
David Caines, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Over the last year and a half, different units of the system’s hospitals have started holding weekly huddles, where nurses, doctors, and hospital leaders review their performance on a set of quality metrics.
—Jessica Bartlett — Boston Globe, STAT, 21 May 2026
His huddles at times resemble a family Sunday supper after the conversation turns to politics – everyone yelling, nobody listening, Izzo’s face reddening and a whiteboard left broken, the innocent victim of all the arguing (though they are rumored to be pre-cut to avoid splintering).
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
Baker-Mazara continued to walk to team huddles with a limp during timeouts but never re-entered the game.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 3 Mar. 2026
The head coach obviously has to lead, but a team needs other leaders, too — a coach on the floor, a voice in the non-coaching huddles.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 20 Feb. 2026
Along with pre-match huddles and post-match laps of appreciation, those moments are how City are trying to build bonds in their new-look team.
—Sam Lee, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
By sticking around, the 30-year-old was able to begin his rehab process with Denver’s training staff while also mentoring his young teammates in huddles and film sessions.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
As the buzzer sounded signaling the end of the third quarter, both teams went to their respective huddles in a tight game.
—Dan Rios, Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Vikram Joshi, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The boiler is broken, so Kuhner huddles by a small space heater in his office in the winter.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Tinos huddles close to its much more popular cousin, Mykonos, just a 20-minute ferry ride away.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026
The couple huddles around a gas heater inside their home with their daughter and 4-year-old granddaughter to try and stay warm.
—Kati Weis, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Back at the castle, where the only thing haunting them is the ghosts of slain reality stars, everybody huddles to try to figure out whether to go for Ron or Colton.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
After almost every jump, Gu huddles with her mother and confidante, Yan, to review footage Yan recorded on her phone.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 22 Jan. 2026
While the team occasionally huddles, Rivers usually calls plays from the sideline.
—Sam Jane, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
In the series finale's last moments, the whole family huddles together at Claire and Phil's house to take one more group selfie.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Nov. 2025
Noun
Take daily tier huddles, for example.
—David Caines, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Over the last year and a half, different units of the system’s hospitals have started holding weekly huddles, where nurses, doctors, and hospital leaders review their performance on a set of quality metrics.
—Jessica Bartlett — Boston Globe, STAT, 21 May 2026
His huddles at times resemble a family Sunday supper after the conversation turns to politics – everyone yelling, nobody listening, Izzo’s face reddening and a whiteboard left broken, the innocent victim of all the arguing (though they are rumored to be pre-cut to avoid splintering).
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026
Baker-Mazara continued to walk to team huddles with a limp during timeouts but never re-entered the game.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 3 Mar. 2026
The head coach obviously has to lead, but a team needs other leaders, too — a coach on the floor, a voice in the non-coaching huddles.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 20 Feb. 2026
Along with pre-match huddles and post-match laps of appreciation, those moments are how City are trying to build bonds in their new-look team.
—Sam Lee, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
By sticking around, the 30-year-old was able to begin his rehab process with Denver’s training staff while also mentoring his young teammates in huddles and film sessions.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
As the buzzer sounded signaling the end of the third quarter, both teams went to their respective huddles in a tight game.
—Dan Rios, Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
An engineer overhears a sales call where a partner is requesting a specific feature and immediately huddles with the salesperson once the line clicks shut.
—Vikram Joshi, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The boiler is broken, so Kuhner huddles by a small space heater in his office in the winter.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Tinos huddles close to its much more popular cousin, Mykonos, just a 20-minute ferry ride away.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026
The couple huddles around a gas heater inside their home with their daughter and 4-year-old granddaughter to try and stay warm.
—Kati Weis, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Back at the castle, where the only thing haunting them is the ghosts of slain reality stars, everybody huddles to try to figure out whether to go for Ron or Colton.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
After almost every jump, Gu huddles with her mother and confidante, Yan, to review footage Yan recorded on her phone.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 22 Jan. 2026
While the team occasionally huddles, Rivers usually calls plays from the sideline.
—Sam Jane, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
In the series finale's last moments, the whole family huddles together at Claire and Phil's house to take one more group selfie.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for huddles
Noun
-
Meanwhile, community meetings about data centers are growing contentious, with police arresting a farmer in Oklahoma, three women in Wisconsin and a man in California.—
Katie King,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
Islamabad says Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, accompanied Sharif at the meetings.—
Victoria Eastwood,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
Noun
-
This medium-sized, rounded tree is appreciated for its fragrant white flower clusters in mid-to-late spring and year-round features.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
21 June 2026
-
The first chapter of the AI investment cycle — the infrastructure buildout of GPU clusters, data centers, and networking fabric that drove NVIDIA's stock up several hundred percent and established the semiconductor complex as one of the decade's defining trades — is not over.—
Jason Kirsch,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Accommodations range from traditional hotel rooms to six-bedroom houses, ideal for larger groups.—
Chelsea Adams,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
-
At the same time, progressive and labor groups that often find themselves at odds with the Chamber are avoiding jumping to conclusions, saying the move speaks more to the group’s quest for relevance than Becerra’s politics.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
More specifically — and without spoiling a story that piles the twists as high as the corpses — Pine's an ex-British soldier pulled from his porter duties and recruited to surveil a ruthless arms dealer, Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie) staying at the hotel.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The result piles more pressure on Starmer, the least popular prime minister since records began, according to some polls.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But then a heavy beat drops, and the figure crouches down into a duckwalk, moving across the walkway in a low bounce before springing up with the circling arm movements of voguing.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
11 May 2026
-
At the other end of the pitch, Robert Lewandowski crouches down on his haunches, eyes looking everywhere and nowhere, their nothingness saying everything.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Through these gatherings, Charlotte continues to show its commitment to building a community where differences are embraced, individuality is celebrated and inclusion remains at the center of bringing people together.—
Amari Riley
June 16,
Charlotte Observer,
16 June 2026
-
Anywhere from 100 to 10,000 or more turtles may gather to lay eggs, with the largest gatherings happening in Costa Rica, Mexico and India.—
Pat Mueller,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Smaller batches typically mean more experimentation — the kind of one-off lagers, seasonal releases and limited tap-only pours that don’t make sense to package and ship across a wide distribution footprint.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
21 June 2026
-
The cookies are made fresh daily in small batches with simple ingredients.—
Pamela Brown,
Hartford Courant,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2026
-
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Huddles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/huddles. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
