Huddle Meaning
/ˈhʌdəl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA dense and disorderly crowd.
nounA small group of individuals in very close proximity to one another.
Sentence Examples
Penguins often huddle together to keep warm.
The gazelles congregated in a small huddle.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Frightened children often ____ together in a dark room during a storm.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The players gathered in a tight ____ to discuss their next important play of the game.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English *hudelen, alteration (due to hudels, hidels (“hiding place”), see hiddle) of *huderen, hoderen (“to cover; press together; huddle”), a frequentative form of Middle English huden, hiden (“to hide”), equivalent to hide + -le and/or hide + -er. Compare Low German huderken (“to brood; coddle; nurse; lull children to sleep”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It’s about as riveting as listening to a huddle of ents discuss the finer points of deciduous shedding."
— 2023 May 25, Nic Reuben, “The Lord of the Rings: Gollum review”, in The Guardian:
"The post-PMQs huddle takes place just outside the press gallery, and all the journalists swarm first around the Prime Minister's press team[…]"
— 2018, Ayesha Hazarika, Tom Hamilton, Punch and Judy Politics: An Insiders' Guide to Prime Minister's Questions:
"During all these operations the apes who had entered sat huddled near the door watching their chief, while those outside strained and crowded to catch a glimpse of what transpired within."
— 1912 October, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Tarzan of the Apes”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as chapter 4, in Tarzan of the Apes, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, June 1914, →OCLC:
"Just south of Wamphray station they overtook the runaway. The dim figure of Mitchell could be seen sitting huddled behind the stormboard. They shouted and whistled. He paid no attention."
— 1950 January, David L. Smith, “A Runaway at Beattock”, in Railway Magazine, page 54:
"George Hirsch, chairman of the board of Road Runners, said officials huddled all day Friday, hoping to devise an alternate race. They considered replacing the marathon with a race that would comprise the final 10 miles of marathon, starting at the base of the Queensboro 59th Street Bridge on the Manhattan side. But that was not deemed plausible, Mr. Hirsch said."
— 2012 November 2, Ken Belson, New York Times, retrieved 02 Nov 2012:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Frightened children often ____ together in a dark room during a storm.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The players gathered in a tight ____ to discuss their next important play of the game.