hole up

British  

verb

1. (of an animal) to hibernate, esp in a cave

2. informal to hide or remain secluded

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hole up Idioms  

1. Take refuge or shelter, hide, as in I spent most of the cruise holed up in my cabin. This usage alludes to animals hibernating in winter or hiding from attack in caves or holes. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

That same night, Israel got a tip from ordinary Iranians that the leader of the feared Basij militia, Gholamreza Soleimani, was holing up with his deputies in a tent in a wooded area in Tehran.

From The Wall Street Journal

I’ll be holed up in a conference room at WSJ headquarters in New York with a crack team of my Features colleagues.

From The Wall Street Journal

He oversaw the country’s response, which included hundreds of missiles launched at Israel, while communicating with Khamenei, who was holed up in a bunker, according to Iranian officials.

From The Wall Street Journal

As I treated them with ointment I decided to hole up until the weather eased a bit—I thought overnight.

From Literature

But after holing up Sunday in his apartment 90 steps from the beach in the historic Zona Romantica, Eure was ready to venture outside.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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