hole up
phr. v..phr. v.. to stay in a safe or secret place for a long time, often to hide from someone or to avoid bad weather.
phr. v.. to take refuge or remain in a secure location for an extended period; often used in contexts of evasion, protection, or isolation.
We had to hole up in a cabin during the snowstorm.
The robbers holed up in an abandoned warehouse while the police searched the city.
The author holed up in a remote cottage for three months to finish her manuscript without any digital distractions.
From hole + up. Attested from the 19th century.
- Particles
- up
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- hole + up (+ in/at + object)
usually followed by the preposition 'in' or 'at' to specify the location.
the verb 'hole' evokes the image of an animal retreating into a burrow for safety, which helps students remember the sense of hiding or seeking shelter.
They holed up themselves in the room.They holed up in the room.this phrasal verb is intransitive and does not take a reflexive object like 'themselves'.