huddle

[huhd-l]

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.

Nearby words

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

Related formshud·dler, 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. 2019

Examples from the Web for huddled

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
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
“We found them all huddled together,” Riccardo Russo of the Italian fire brigade told reporters.
Italy: Migrants Dying en Masse|Barbie Latza Nadeau|July 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

We huddled under the covers and drank and ate and then ducked out in the dark to brush our teeth.
A Little Too Off the Beaten Path in Burma|Katya Cengel|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The men were sleeping rolls of snores, huddled close around the fire.
The Door Through Space|Marion Zimmer Bradley
The figure, naked from the waist up, huddled upon the hard-baked mud, digging madly at the earth.
Average Jones|Samuel Hopkins Adams
But Juliet haughtily ignored the invitation and huddled in the bottom of the bowl.
Patty's Success|Carolyn Wells
Soubise and I huddled close together, trying to keep each other warm.
My Double Life|Sarah Bernhardt
The woman, without stopping her chatter, huddled in the doorway, pointing to the dim corner opposite.
Murder in Any Degree|Owen Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for huddled

huddle

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 Formshuddler, 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

Word Origin and History for huddled

huddle

1570s, "to heap or crowd together," probably from Low German hudern "to cover, to shelter," from Middle Low German huden "to cover up," from Proto-Germanic *hud- (see hide (v.)). Cf. also Middle English hoderen "heap together, huddle" (c.1300). Related: Huddled; huddling. The noun is from 1580s. U.S. football sense is from 1928.

Idioms and Phrases with huddled

huddle

see go into a huddle.

huddle

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

verb (used with object), hud·dled, hud·dling.

noun

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Origin of huddle

Examples from the Web for huddled

huddle

noun

verb

Word Origin for huddle

huddle

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