huddled

verb

past tense of huddle
1
as in piled
to gather into a closely packed group the puppies huddled together to keep warm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crouched
to lie low with the limbs close to the body huddled under her bed during a game of hide-and-seek

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 huddled Eric Bieniemy had the entire offense huddled up after that drive. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026 The three of us huddled in the torrential darkness with our backs to the palm, not even thinking of our cuts. — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026 Instead of spiking the ball to stop the clock and kicking, the Commanders huddled. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 Newsom is said to have huddled with both sides to try and hammer out a deal. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026 Photos shared on social media showed dozens of construction workers huddled together. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 The hockey star stayed down on the ice for a few moments as teammates huddled around him, and Faber eventually stood up and skated off the ice on his own. — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2026 Tight, familial church communities, huddled in isolated villages and small towns; people held in place; a striking lack of privacy and liberty. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026 Several teammates huddled outside the medical tent while Dart was inside, no doubt worried about the status of their starting quarterback. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for huddled
  1. piled
  2. crouched
  3. crowded
Verb
  • On a recent Sunday afternoon, shoppers crowded the aisles at Tri Ocean Seafood Market on South Federal Boulevard, weaving around carts piled high with dragon fruit, Thai bananas and bundles of fresh herbs.
    — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Brats in buns were piled high with brown mustard and sauerkraut, while a sausage sampler platter (for $18) featured three types of German sausages and spaetzle.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of piled
Verb
  • The victim’s brother walked to midfield, crouched, took aim, and fired.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
  • State police said the preliminary investigation by its homicide unit indicated that Moorhead had been crouched close to the ground in an open field, hunting, when Soto passed by with a man and two children.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of crouched
Verb
  • Scores of kids in Sixers jerseys crowded over the home team entrance canopy and screamed for James to stop for a picture or an autograph.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Its counters are crowded with plants and flowers in various states of decay, stacks of plates, fruit and Venezuelan snacks like tins of Pirulin cookies, all styled like a Dutch still life.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of crowded

Browse Nearby Words

huddle
huddled
huddles
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Huddled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/huddled. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

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

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All