hole up

verb

holed up; holing up; holes up

intransitive verb

: to hide out in or as if in a hole or cave

transitive verb

: to place in or as if in a refuge or hiding place

Examples of hole up in a Sentence

we'll hole up in the cellar and wait out the hurricane
Recent Examples on the Web The Oscar winner, 42, can be seen navigating a New York City deprived of breathable oxygen and holing up with her family. Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024 Brown trout go on the hunt after dark, whereas rainbows tend to hole up and not feed very heavily at night. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024 Glazer remained outside, holed up in a shipping container decked out with monitors. Giles Harvey, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023 Still, about 700 lawmakers remained holed up inside the European Union’s soaring executive chamber in Brussels. Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2024 Fighting in Gaza remains fiercest in the southern city of Khan Younis, where Hamas' top leaders are believed to be holed up in a network of tunnels. Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 11 Feb. 2024 In early 1990, one of China’s most famous dissidents sat holed up with his wife and son in the U.S. embassy in Beijing, watching their country convulse in violence. Ian Johnson, Foreign Affairs, 19 Dec. 2023 And throughout this year, my answer has been Asi Wind, a smooth-talking Israeli American magician who has been holed up in a Greenwich Village church gymnasium, astonishing audiences with close-up card trickery and mind-blowing mind reading. New York Times, 9 Dec. 2023 Seaside respites, game days, and mini makeovers defined the vibe of this week's best beauty Instagrams, which proved that, though winter is a season of slowing down, there's no need to hole up entirely. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 7 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hole up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of hole up was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near hole up

Cite this Entry

“Hole up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hole%20up. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hole up

verb
: to take shelter in or as if in a hole or cave

More from Merriam-Webster on hole up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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