HOLED UP Synonyms: 19 Similar and Opposite Words

holed up

verb

past tense of hole up

as in hid

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

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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 holed up On a night in London, a British interior designer and architect named Edward William Godwin holed up in his room to ponder the purpose of beauty. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 Authorities determined that the man, his wife and daughter were holed up in a bedroom. — Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026 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 Chicago police have ended an hourslong standoff in Logan Square with someone holed up inside a residence that began Monday afternoon and stretched into the overnight hours Tuesday. — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026 The week before Christmas 2025, five mathematicians were holed up in a classroom at ETH Zurich. — Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for holed up

lurked

Verb

But trouble lurked in a left-field box seat — and at shortstop.

— Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
Former landlords lurked in bushes or on roofs or waited in cars outside our home.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of lurked

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holed

holed up

holes

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

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Synonyms of holed up

verb

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