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
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.
Instead of merely making a tent that's as light as possible at the cost of comfort, Durston understands that backpackers and mountaineers will be living in their tent night after night and might very well be holed up for days on end, waiting out dangerous weather and conditions. New Atlas, 6 May 2025 With few, if any, holes up front or on the back end, the Hurricanes are a very hard team to match up against. The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 3 May 2025 At first, he was holed up on some fishing boat in Alaska. Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 24 Apr. 2025 Ziemer, a PhD student and teacher at the university, was already holed up in a conference room on the third floor of an academic building with her coworkers and faculty from another program who let them in for shelter. Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hole up

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hole up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hole%20up. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

hole up

verb
: to take shelter in or as if in a hole or cave
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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