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
Massimo went off with Mandy to her family bolt-hole in the Caribbean, Billy held a dinner party which was a qualified success.
From The New Yorker • May 18, 2015
On Friday, Swedish prosecutors reversed their long refusal to question Assange inside his London bolt-hole, citing the five-year statute of limitations on some of the allegations against him.
From Washington Post • Mar. 13, 2015
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
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.
