huddle
verb
hud·dle
| \ ˈhə-dᵊl
\
\
huddled;
huddling\ ˈhəd-liŋ
, ˈhə-dᵊl-iŋ \
, ˈhə-dᵊl-iŋ \
Definition of huddle
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
British
: to arrange carelessly or hurriedly
the solemnities had to be huddled through at express speed — Manchester Examiner
2a
: to crowd together
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free …— Emma Lazarus
b
: to draw (oneself) together : crouch
People were huddled around their radios.
3
: to wrap oneself closely in
huddled her coat around her
1a
: to gather in a close-packed group
They huddled around the campfire.
b
: to curl up : crouch
Students huddled over their desks.
2a
: to hold a consultation
huddled to discuss the proposal
b
football
: to gather away from the line of scrimmage to receive instructions (as from the quarterback) for the next down (see down entry 5 sense 3b) : to gather in a huddle (see huddle entry 2 sense 2b)
huddle
nounDefinition of huddle (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: a close-packed group : bunch
huddles of children a huddle of cottages
2a
: meeting, conference
The boss is in a huddle with the marketing director.
b
football
: a brief gathering of players away from the line of scrimmage to receive instructions (as from the quarterback) for the next down (see down entry 5 sense 3b)
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Other Words from huddle
Verb
huddler
\ ˈhəd-lər
, ˈhə-dᵊl-ər \
noun
, ˈhə-dᵊl-ər \
noun
Synonyms for huddle
Synonyms: Verb
bunch, cluster, crowd, pile, press
Synonyms: Noun
assembly, congress, convention, convocation, council, gathering, get-together, meeting, powwow
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Examples of huddle in a Sentence
Verb
We huddled around the campfire. The sheep huddled together for warmth. The students huddled over their desks. Union representatives are huddling to discuss the proposal.Noun
sheep standing in a huddle The boss is in a huddle with the marketing director. The quarterback called the offense into a huddle.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The only four Jews in the dorm — including me — huddled together as the others scrutinized us in the lounge. — Longreads, "An Ocean Away From the Sanctuary of Manhattan, Signs of Peaceful Coexistence," 29 July 2019 Instead of people huddling together to vlog, teens flocked to one another to collab on a TikTok. — Julia Alexander, The Verge, "TikTok took over VidCon, and YouTube is next," 15 July 2019 Even the few homeless people who remain note the number of people camping has declined, with most huddled together at the one corner where Mozgo hasn’t had the chance to place planter boxes. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Desperate to get rid of homeless people, some are using prickly plants, fences, barriers," 10 July 2019 Even the few homeless people who remain note the number of people camping has declined, with most huddled together at the one corner where Mozgo hasn’t had the chance to place planter boxes. — Benjamin Oreskes, latimes.com, "Desperate to get rid of homeless people, some are using prickly plants, fences, barriers," 10 July 2019 After the last of the military jets flew over the crowd and many left, families were left camped out on picnic blankets, and kids huddled together under umbrellas eager to watch the fireworks display. — Jason Lalljee, USA TODAY, "‘Are you proud to be an American?’ Why Trump’s 4th of July was a tale of three different celebrations," 5 July 2019 Most guests just stood unprotected in the intermittent rain, huddled closely together. — Lois Smith Brady, New York Times, "A Ghost Town Wedding With 47 Guests, and Maybe a Few Others," 5 July 2019 While Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed gratitude for the team’s previous success and his players’ resiliency, Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob and general manager Bob Myers huddled together to discuss something else. — Mark Medina, The Mercury News, "Joe Lacob: ‘We’ll figure out a way to be very competitive going forward’," 14 June 2019 Also known as snow monkeys, the species endures below-zero temperatures by growing thick winter coats and huddling together. — Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, "A Primer to Our Planet of Monkeys," 12 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The spoof ad starts innocently enough, with the wholesome Manning encouraging everyone in the huddle to practice teamwork and have fun. — Los Angeles Times, "Tales from the NFL: Peyton Manning had fun hitting kids with footballs," 2 Sep. 2019 With trash-talking stadium announcers, cameras in the huddle and no penalties for roughness, the XFL was mostly about entertainment. — SI.com, "A History of Football in 100 Objects," 28 Aug. 2019 On one play, the offense broke the huddle en route to lining up. — Los Angeles Times, "Taylor Rapp building a reputation as a ‘flat-out baller’ in Rams camp," 4 Aug. 2019 Friday’s practice was another in which his progress was relatively difficult to discern for observers who aren’t in the huddle and don’t have intimate knowledge of the playbook. — Rich Campbell, chicagotribune.com, "5 observations from Bears practice Friday, including David Montgomery against live tackling and Charles Leno blocking Khalil Mack," 2 Aug. 2019 No coach to call the plays, no huddle to run ideas by. — Tara Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, "Novak Djokovic-Roger Federer Wimbledon finale was simply tennis at its very best," 16 July 2019 In the wide-shot photo the cross looms against a colorless sky as a crowd of people, dressed in white and black, huddles nearby, heads lowered. — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, "Photo Requests from Solitary Confinement," 8 July 2019 When the Warriors trailed, 79-74, with 9.9 seconds left in the game, Evans spoke up in the huddle during a timeout. — Mark Medina, The Mercury News, "Warriors’ Jacob Evans: ‘Last year was disappointing for me’," 2 July 2019 The night of June 14, Jata and Mzingo slept in a huddle across the hall from Ola, who paced excitedly. — Dallas News, "Dallas Zoo's new African painted dogs kill packmate," 4 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'huddle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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