huddle

American  

[huhd-l] / ˈhʌd l /

verb (used without object)

huddles, present (3rd person singular) huddled, past participle, past huddling present participle

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)

huddles, present (3rd person singular) huddled, past participle, past huddling present participle

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

huddles plural

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

Derived Forms

• huddler
  noun
• huddlingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• huddles
  plural

Participles

• huddling
  present
• huddled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• huddle
  simple
• huddles
  simple
• have huddled
  perfect
• has huddled
  perfect
• am huddling
  progressive
• are huddling
  progressive
• is huddling
  progressive
• have been huddling
  perfect progressive
• has been huddling
  perfect progressive

Past

• huddled
  simple
• had huddled
  perfect
• was huddling
  progressive
• were huddling
  progressive
• had been huddling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will huddle
  simple
• will have huddled
  perfect
• will be huddling
  progressive
• will have been huddling
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

Those not in the huddle at all block the water with their bodies.

From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026

Answering questions, they confer in a huddle before appointing a spokesperson.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

With England naming three debutants in their XI for the first time in nine years, the pre-match huddle went on longer than some first dates.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026

In a huddle with teammates, Croddick preached patience.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

I peek through the crack in the door to find men and women in army fatigues arguing as they huddle over a Battleship board game.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

Related Words

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