Definition

1. Verb (intransitive):
   • To remain secluded or in hiding; to stay in a secluded place, often for a period of time. This meaning emphasizes intentionally isolating oneself from others, typically in a specific location.
   • To sleep during winter; to hibernate. This is a specific biological meaning, primarily used for animals.

Usage and Examples

• Verb (intransitive - to seclude oneself):

  • After the scandal, the celebrity decided to hole up in a remote cabin.
  • I need to hole up in the library this weekend to finish my thesis.
  • The fugitives holed up in an abandoned warehouse for weeks.

• Verb (intransitive - to hibernate):

  • Many animals, like bears, hole up for the entire winter season.
  • The groundhog will hole up in its burrow until spring.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The phrase often implies a deliberate action to find shelter or seclusion, sometimes from something unpleasant (e.g., bad weather, the law, public attention).
• It can be used reflexively: "He holed himself up in his room."
• The location is typically introduced with the preposition "in."

Variants and Related Words

• Hole (n): An empty space in a solid body or surface. While related conceptually (as a hiding place), it is a distinct word.
• Hide out (phrasal verb): A close synonym meaning to conceal oneself, often from authorities.
• Seclude (v): To keep someone or something away from other people. This is a more formal, single-word synonym for the "seclusion" aspect.

Synonyms

• Seclude oneself: To keep oneself apart from others.
• Hide away: To put or keep oneself in a place where one cannot be seen or found.
• Hibernate: (Specifically for the winter sleep meaning) to spend the winter in a dormant state.

Phrasal Verbs and Related Constructions

• Hole up is itself a phrasal verb. It is not typically broken down into other phrasal forms. The structure is: hole up + [optional: reflexive pronoun] + in + [location].
  • They holed up in a mountain lodge.
  • She holed herself up in her study.

Related Idioms

• Go to ground: To hide, especially to escape from someone. This idiom shares the connotation of hiding in a secluded place.
  • After the failed coup, the rebels went to ground.
• Lie low: To try not to be noticed; to keep a low profile. This is similar in intent but does not necessarily imply being in a fixed, enclosed location.
  • The advice was to lie low until the media attention died down.

Verb

1. sleep during winter
   • Bears must eat a lot of food before they hibernate in their caves
2. score a hole in one
3. remain secluded or in hiding
   • He is writing his book and is holing up in his study