huddle

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈhʌdəl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈhʌdəl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(hud′l)

Inflections of 'huddle' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
huddles
v 3rd person singular
huddling
v pres p
huddled
v past
huddled
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
hud•dle /ˈhʌdəl/USA pronunciation   v., -dled, -dling, n. 
v. 
  1. to (cause to) gather or crowd together: [no object]They huddled around the stove to get warm.[~ + object]The counselers huddled the children round the campfire.
  2. to meet together and discuss;
    confer or consult:[no object]The union negotiators huddled for a few moments.

n. [countable]
  1. a closely gathered group, mass, or heap;
    bunch.
  2. Sporta close gathering of football players before a play to hear instructions for the next play.
  3. a conference or consultation.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
hud•dle  (hud′l),USA pronunciation v., -dled, -dling, n. 
v.i. 
  1. to gather or crowd together in a close mass.
  2. to crouch, curl up, or draw oneself together.
  3. [Football.]to get together in a huddle.
  4. to confer or consult;
    meet to discuss, exchange ideas, or make a decision.

v.t. 
  1. to heap or crowd together closely.
  2. to draw (oneself ) closely together, as in crouching;
    nestle (often fol. by up).
  3. British Terms[Chiefly Brit.]to do hastily and carelessly (often fol. by up, over, or together).
  4. to put on (clothes) with careless haste (often fol. by on).

n. 
  1. a closely gathered group, mass, or heap;
    bunch.
  2. [Football.]a gathering of the offensive team in a close circle or line behind the line of scrimmage for instructions, signals, etc., from the team captain or quarterback, usually held before each offensive play.
  3. a conference, or consultation, esp. a private meeting to discuss serious matters:The labor representatives have been in a huddle for two hours.
  4. confusion or disorder.
  • 1570–80; hud- (weak grade of root found in hide1) + -le; replacing Middle English hoder, equivalent. to hod- (variant hud-) + -er -er6
hud′dler, n. 
hud′dling•ly, adv. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
huddle /ˈhʌdəl/ n
  1. a heaped or crowded mass of people or things
  2. informal a private or impromptu conference (esp in the phrase go into a huddle)
 vb
  1. to crowd or cause to crowd or nestle closely together
  2. (often followed by up) to draw or hunch (oneself), as through cold
  3. (intransitive) informal to meet and confer privately
  4. (transitive) chiefly Brit to do (something) in a careless way
  5. (transitive) rare to put on (clothes) hurriedly
Etymology: 16th Century: of uncertain origin; compare Middle English hoderen to wrap upˈhuddler n
'huddle' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
clowder - scrooch
Collocations: the team was in a huddle, the players were in a huddle, the [coach, quarterback] called a huddle, more...

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