huddle

[ huhd-l ]

/ ˈhʌd l /

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See synonyms for: huddle / huddled on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), hud·dled, hud·dling.

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), hud·dled, hud·dling.

to heap or crowd together closely.

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

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

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

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.

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Origin of huddle

1570–80; hud- (weak grade of root found in hide¹) + -le; replacing Middle English hoder, equivalent to hod- (variant hud-) + -er-er⁶

OTHER WORDS FROM huddle

huddler, nounhud·dling·ly, adverbun·hud·dle, verb (used with object), un·hud·dled, un·hud·dling.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use huddle in a sentence

He was the team’s hype man in the huddle after warmups, a role typically assumed by veterans, and the most vocal player on the sideline and between plays.
Washington comes back to beat Bengals, 20-9, after rookie QB Joe Burrow leaves with injury|Nicki Jhabvala|November 22, 2020|Washington Post
We want to make sure the interactions and the huddle spaces, the places where visitors will gather, are spaced out enough.
Plight at the Museum|Jen Trolio|November 20, 2020|Vox
When they need tissues from Mary’s desk, they stay in that tight huddle as they shuffle over.
Three love stories about birds that will delight your heart|Laura Erickson|November 6, 2020|Popular-Science
Work from this observatory supplements observations by on-site researchers and has allowed Zitterbart’s team to develop mathematical models that accurately forecast penguin huddles.
Math of the Penguins|Susan D'Agostino|August 17, 2020|Quanta Magazine

This penguin, known as the mover, waddles in search of new neighbors in the relative warmth of the huddle’s leeward side.
Math of the Penguins|Susan D'Agostino|August 17, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Dozens of tearful family members huddled at the Surabaya and Singapore airports, anxiously awaiting news of loved ones.
The Presumed Crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Is Nothing Like MH370|Lennox Samuels|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We huddled up and the boy snapped the photo, then handed me the camera.
From Auschwitz to the White House: One Tailor’s American Tale|Martin Greenfield|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The rebels then turned their guns on the family huddled in the Opal.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yet the tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free did not always find what they expected in America.
‘The Harness Maker’s Dream:’ The Unlikely Ranch King of Texas|Nick Kotz|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Contestants, huddled on the couches of a communal room, clutched their faces in shock and some broke into sobs.
No One Told ‘Big Brother Israel’ About the War|Nina Strochlic|August 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Elmer Spiker, mine host of the inn, was huddled close to the stove, and was reading by the light of a lamp.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
They huddled together until another shock threw them one upon another.
A Lost Hero|Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward
The people huddled together, and looked into each others' appalled faces, and no man said a word.
A Lost Hero|Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward
The point where we stood—a huddled, shivering group—faced the wider channels that led to the open sea and Finland.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
He was on the sand-bar before I could see him clearly, and coming straight toward where I was huddled in the brush.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for huddle

huddle

/ (ˈhʌdəl) /

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

(intr) informal to meet and confer privately

(tr) mainly British to do (something) in a careless way

(tr) rare to put on (clothes) hurriedly

Derived forms of huddle

huddler, noun

Word Origin for huddle

C16: of uncertain origin; compare Middle English hoderen to wrap up

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with huddle

huddle

see go into a huddle.

huddle

Origin of huddle

OTHER WORDS FROM huddle

Words related to huddle

How to use huddle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for huddle

Derived forms of huddle

Word Origin for huddle

Other Idioms and Phrases with huddle