huddle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to gather or crowd together in a close mass.
-
to crouch, curl up, or draw oneself together.
-
Football. to get together in a huddle.
-
to confer or consult; meet to discuss, exchange ideas, or make a decision.
verb (used with object)
-
to heap or crowd together closely.
-
to draw (oneself ) closely together, as in crouching; nestle (often followed byup ).
-
Chiefly British. to do hastily and carelessly (often followed by up, over, ortogether ).
-
to put on (clothes) with careless haste (often followed byon ).
noun
-
a closely gathered group, mass, or heap; bunch.
-
Football. a gathering of the offensive team in a close circle or line behind the line of scrimmage for instructions, signals, etc., from the team captain or quarterback, usually held before each offensive play.
-
a conference, or consultation, especially a private meeting to discuss serious matters.
The labor representatives have been in a huddle for two hours.
-
confusion or disorder.
noun
-
a heaped or crowded mass of people or things
-
informal a private or impromptu conference (esp in the phrase go into a huddle )
verb
-
to crowd or cause to crowd or nestle closely together
-
(often foll by up) to draw or hunch (oneself), as through cold
-
informal (intr) to meet and confer privately
-
(tr) to do (something) in a careless way
-
rare (tr) to put on (clothes) hurriedly
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
huddlesimple
-
huddlessimple
-
have huddledperfect
-
has huddledperfect
-
am huddlingprogressive
-
are huddlingprogressive
-
is huddlingprogressive
-
have been huddlingperfect progressive
-
has been huddlingperfect progressive
Past
-
huddledsimple
-
had huddledperfect
-
was huddlingprogressive
-
were huddlingprogressive
-
had been huddlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of huddle
1570–80; hud- (weak grade of root found in hide 1 ) + -le; replacing Middle English hoder, equivalent to hod- (variant hud- ) + -er -er 6
Explanation
In a football game, a huddle is a quick conference before a play. Huddle can also be a dense and disorganized crowd, like a group of people standing under an awning waiting for the rain to pass. As a verb huddle means to draw people together or to crouch low or curl up. The word comes from the late 16th century, when it meant “to conceal.” That makes sense. When a burglar comes into your home, you might huddle in the closet so he'll leave without harming you. When your mom comes to see if you’re sleeping, you might huddle under your blankets with your flashlight so she won’t know you’re still up reading.
Vocabulary lists containing huddle
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Words Football Fans Can Master Easily
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Comfy Cozy Lingo
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She described the behaviour as "a rallying cry" before a stressful event, much like a football huddle before a big match.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Those not in the huddle at all block the water with their bodies.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Photographers will now be grouped in a huddle closer to the halfway line - allowing an unobstructed view for the coaching staff.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
“Don’t freak out,” Croddick recalled telling the Princeton huddle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
But toward the end of class, when Coach West tells everyone who’s joining track to huddle up, I huddle.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
Next to the prediction-markets screen, another crowd huddles around a secondary screen to watch the trading action unfold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Marcus has been there, throughout halftimes, huddles, on the court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
The women at the community kitchen in the besieged Sudanese city of el-Fasher are sitting in huddles of desperation.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2025
Hynes: When you see their huddles, like pregame stuff it just hypes you up, and you're just like, "Yeah, that's a real family."
From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2024
Judd walks across the kitchen, and at the thud of each footstep, Shiloh huddles down farther and farther in the box, like maybe he can make himself disappear.
From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
More than 60 different groups of interns huddled around tables, sifting through income statements, newspaper articles and an org chart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
They were huddled along the East Coast, linked mostly by coastal waterways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Four Colombians huddled together, discussing tactics, plotting their next move.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
She described how she "huddled together" with her sister and a neighbor, adding that "we couldn't get out. The neighbors are still out on the street."
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Yep. Every morning after breakfast they sit in a corner, huddled close over a notebook, whispering. They laugh a lot and even have pet names for each other.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Over the past four years, residents have developed sheltering routines, which range from huddling in apartment corridors to rushing underground for greater safety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Teams from the two companies have been huddling for months to plan for the melding of the two operations as soon as Paramount receives all of its regulatory approvals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Two baby otter cubs have been rescued after they were found huddling for warmth in a car engine in North Ayrshire.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Still, it was a lot more convenient to get quotes at individual desks than huddling around the ticker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2025
Otto joined me, huddling his wet back against my side for warmth.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
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.
