HOLE UP Synonyms: 17 Similar and Opposite Words

hole up

verb

Definition of hole up

as in to hide

to remain out of sight we'll hole up in the cellar and wait out the hurricane

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 hole up The coast is peppered with grande dame hotels housed in former convents, centuries-old palaces, and pastel villas where everyone from Maria Callas and Coco Chanel to Liza Minnelli and Elizabeth Taylor have holed up. — Lane Nieset, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 2026 Three years later, Kao holed up in a conference room to recount the Corner Bakery meeting to a group of four FBI agents and federal prosecutors. — William Turton, ProPublica, 22 Sep. 2026 On March 1, while members of the unit holed up in a bunker amid air sirens, Cody's family said many survivors of the attack and other officers on the ground told them Cody advised Barnes that the unit should remain there, even amid periods of calm. — Jonah Kaplan, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026 To me, the most interesting part was when they’re holed up in the mall watching the news. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hole up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hole up

Verb

In an indirect prompt injection, an attacker hides instructions in content an AI agent will come across while doing a task—a web page or a forum post, for instance—hoping to hijack the agent.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Many senior Democrats blamed her, along with the rest of the family and his close aides, for hiding his condition.

— Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of hide

Verb

Federal authorities accused her Monday of fraudulently registering to vote in July 2006 and then lying about it in her naturalization paperwork in March 2026.

— Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Hubble is specifically looking to survey satellite galaxies that lie near host galaxies similar to our own Milky Way.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of lie

Browse Nearby Words

holes up

hole up

holey

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hole up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hole%20up. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hole up

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes