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 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 But on Friday, Mr. Cook was holed up in his Iowa City office with his dog, directing his crews to stand down, or even turn around, while campaigns reassessed their plans because of the weather. Rebecca Davis O’Brien, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024 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 The Gulls holed up at their practice facility in Poway before returning to Pechanga on Wednesday. Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2024 Several years and relocations later, Gouge Away reassembled in Portland, Oregon, just before New Years Eve 2022 to finish the material and, months later, holed up at Atomic Garden East with producer Jack Shirley to record Deep Sage. Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 9 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 18 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!