a hole in the ground, protected opening in bushes, etc., into which an animal can flee when pursued or frightened.
a place or avenue of escape or refuge.
The remote mountain village was a safe bolt-hole for refugees during the war.
First recorded in 1830–40
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One of the first, exclusive members-only social clubs, Soho House debuted in London in 1995 and quickly became the bolt-hole of choice for celebrities and the deep-pocketed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2026
He saw it as a refuge, a bolt-hole in which he could pursue country pleasures and contemplate the beauty of nature; she found it boring and preferred the city.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2023
The quiet fishing village seemed a perfect bolt-hole in the second autumn of the pandemic.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 18, 2021
He explains that while he maintains a bolt-hole in his adopted Manhattan, these days he prefers living out in the Catskills.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 7, 2019
I’d been imagining myself frowning at the crowd from our usual bolt-hole and worrying over whether I’d do well enough in the tournament to impress one of the royal family into granting me knighthood.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Robinson had covered an escape route at the back of the den with a backpack, but one pup darted out through another bolt hole.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 7, 2014
We should have guessed it wouldn't be a simple matter to track down our hero's bolt hole.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 15, 2013
He said they were living off Mary's parents generosity in terms of paying for food and fuel until they came upon the British-bankruptcy bolt hole.
From The Guardian ● May 27, 2012
Gianfranco Zola has given his West Ham squad three days off following their defeat by Stoke at Upton Park and taken himself off to the bolt hole of Sardinia.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 29, 2010
Then I lifted my head from its bolt hole.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
