huddle

American  

[huhd-l] / ˈhʌd l /

verb (used without object)

huddled, huddling

1. to gather or crowd together in a close mass.

2. to crouch, curl up, or draw oneself together.

3. Football. to get together in a huddle.

4. to confer or consult; meet to discuss, exchange ideas, or make a decision.

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verb (used with object)

huddled, huddling

1. to heap or crowd together closely.

2. to draw (oneself ) closely together, as in crouching; nestle (often followed byup ).

3. Chiefly British. to do hastily and carelessly (often followed by up, over, ortogether ).

4. to put on (clothes) with careless haste (often followed byon ).

noun

1. a closely gathered group, mass, or heap; bunch.

2. 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.

3. a conference, or consultation, especially a private meeting to discuss serious matters.

   The labor representatives have been in a huddle for two hours.

4. confusion or disorder.

huddle British  

/ ˈhʌdəl /

noun

1. a heaped or crowded mass of people or things

2. informal a private or impromptu conference (esp in the phrase go into a huddle )

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verb

1. to crowd or cause to crowd or nestle closely together

2. (often foll by up) to draw or hunch (oneself), as through cold

3. informal (intr) to meet and confer privately

4. (tr) to do (something) in a careless way

5. rare (tr) to put on (clothes) hurriedly

huddle Idioms  

1. see go into a huddle.

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Other Word Forms

• huddler noun
• huddlingly adverb
• unhuddle verb (used with object)

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

Example Sentences

Whispers were going around the sunburned, sleepy crowds huddled on their suitcases that there were no flights until Monday.

From The Wall Street Journal

You can tell who they are, as they are the ones huddled together during class breaks, away from the young students, and not too overwhelmed with joy when I approach them.

From BBC

Increasingly however small huddles of people are talking about it.

From BBC

The teenagers huddled around the table leap into action, shouting instructions and acting out the correct strategies for just one of the potential catastrophes laid out in the board game called Master of Disaster.

From Barron's

The group huddled in a room at the course early this year was made up of 19 students who ranged in age from early 20s to mid-60s.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cluster
• confer
• consult
• converge
• crouch
• cuddle
• curl up
• gather
• snuggle