huddle

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈhʌdəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #16288

Meanings

1

verb
To crowd closely together, often for warmth or safety.

The children huddled together under one blanket.
2

verb
To curl up tightly with your arms and legs drawn in.

He huddled in the corner, shivering with cold.
3

verb
To gather in a small group to talk something over privately.

The managers huddled to decide their next move.
4

noun
A small group of people standing close together.

A huddle of reporters waited outside the courtroom.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to crowd closely together,... huddle together

2 verb · to curl up tightly with... cower

Word family

Forms huddledhuddleshuddling

Derived forms huddlementhuddlerhuddlesomehuddlinglyunhuddle

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

huddle together
to gather closely into a small group

Verb + adverb

Simplified etymology

Huddle, recorded from the mid-16th century, may preserve an ancient root meaning “to hide.” The same proposed root may underlie house, though the relationship is uncertain.

Etymology

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”).

*hudelen Middle English huden Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# huddle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈhʌdəl/
**Frequency rank:** 16288

## Meanings
1. To crowd closely together, often for warmth or safety.
2. To curl up tightly with your arms and legs drawn in.
3. To gather in a small group to talk something over privately.
4. A small group of people standing close together.

## Examples
- The children huddled together under one blanket.
- He huddled in the corner, shivering with cold.
- The managers huddled to decide their next move.
- A huddle of reporters waited outside the courtroom.

## Derived Forms
- huddlement
- huddler
- huddlesome
- huddlingly
- unhuddle

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *hudelen
- Root: huden

## Etymology
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”).

## AI Etymology
Huddle is 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”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include *hudelen (Middle English) and huden (Middle English). Current senses include to crowd closely together, often for warmth or safety and to curl up tightly with your arms and legs drawn in. The wider family includes derived forms such as huddlement, huddler, huddlesome, huddlingly, and unhuddle.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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