What does "huddle" mean?
A dense and disorderly crowd.
Huddle
/ˈhʌdəl/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A dense and disorderly crowd.
- Grammar: huddle is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: advise, around, assemble, assemble.
- Useful contrasts: dawdle, disperse, ignore.
- Usage evidence: When I was younger, I hated going to weddings. My grandmothers and aunts would huddle around me, poke me in the side, and giggle "You're next! You're next!" They only stopped this nonsense when I began to do the same thing at funerals.
How to use "huddle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "huddle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "huddle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "huddle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "huddle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "huddle" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "advise" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "huddle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A dense and disorderly crowd. obsolete
- 2 (informal) a quick private conference wordnet
- 3 A small group of individuals in very close proximity to one another.
"It’s about as riveting as listening to a huddle of ents discuss the finer points of deciduous shedding."
- 4 a disorganized and densely packed crowd wordnet
- 5 A small group of individuals in very close proximity to one another.; A session in which a group of journalists assemble in an informal, dense cluster to question a person of interest.
"The post-PMQs huddle takes place just outside the press gallery, and all the journalists swarm first around the Prime Minister's press team[…]"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A small group of individuals in very close proximity to one another.; A brief meeting of all the players from one team that are on the field with the purpose of planning the following play.
- 7 A hesitation during play to think about one's next move.
Verb
- 1 To crowd together. intransitive
"The sheep huddled together seeking warmth."
- 2 crowd or draw together wordnet
- 3 To curl one's legs up to the chest and keep one's arms close to the torso; to crouch; to assume a position similar to that of an embryo in the womb. intransitive
"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."
- 4 crouch or curl up wordnet
- 5 To get together and discuss a topic.
"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."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To form a huddle. intransitive
- 7 To crowd (things) together; to mingle confusedly; to assemble without order or system. transitive
"Our adversary, huddling several suppositions together,[…]makes a medley and confusion."
- 8 To do, make, or put, in haste or roughly; hence, to do imperfectly; usually with a following preposition or adverb (huddle on, huddle up, huddle together). transitive
"Huddle up a peace."
- 9 To hesitate during play while thinking about one's next move. intransitive
Adjective
- 1 Huddled, confused, congested. not-comparable
"There was in Sicilie a certaine fisherman who resembled in all points Sura the pro-consull, not onely in visage and feature of the face, but also in mowing with his mouth when he spake, in drawing his tongue short, and in his huddle and thicke speech."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname originating as a patronymic.
Example
"When I was younger, I hated going to weddings. My grandmothers and aunts would huddle around me, poke me in the side, and giggle "You're next! You're next!" They only stopped this nonsense when I began to do the same thing at funerals."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "huddle"?
Common synonyms include: advise, around, assemble, assemble, assembly, ataxia.
How do you use "huddle" in a sentence?
When I was younger, I hated going to weddings. My grandmothers and aunts would huddle around me, poke me in the side, and giggle "You're next! You're next!" They only stopped this nonsense when I began to do the same thing at funerals.
How do you pronounce "huddle"?
Pronounced /ˈhʌdəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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”).
Etymology 2
Variant of Hudd.