huddle

CEFRB2

/ˈhʌdəl/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
verb
To gather closely together, often for warmth or discussion.
02
verb
Extra detail
A small group of individuals in very close proximity to one another.

Examples

Penguins often huddle together to keep warm.
The gazelles congregated in a small huddle.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 5
Parts of speech: 2
Citations: 5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

A dense and disorderly crowd.
A session in which a group of journalists assemble in an informal, dense cluster to question a person of interest.
A brief meeting of all the players from one team that are on the field with the purpose of planning the following play.

More examples

In context

The sheep huddled together seeking warmth.
It’s about as riveting as listening to a huddle of ents discuss the finer points of deciduous shedding.
The post-PMQs huddle takes place just outside the press gallery, and all the journalists swarm first around the Prime Minister's press team[…]

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

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Frightened children often blank together in a dark room during a storm.

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Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

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
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
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

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Origin

verb

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”).