chiefly British
: a place of escape or refuge

Examples of bolt-hole in a Sentence

her cottage in the Lake District served as her bolt-hole whenever the stresses of London became too great
Recent Examples on the Web The Broadwick Soho’s Flute James MacDonald Broadwick Soho For 57-room bolt-hole Broadwick Soho, owner Noel Hayden was inspired by his 1980s upbringing in a quirky hotel in Dorset. Toby Skinner, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024 Around that time, some smaller properties also debuted — boutique charmers like Castello di Vicarello, Borgo Santo Pietro, Villa Fontelunga, and the Val d'Orcia bolt-hole La Bandita Country Hotel. Lee Marshall, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bolt-hole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1851, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bolt-hole was circa 1851

Dictionary Entries Near bolt-hole

Cite this Entry

“Bolt-hole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolt-hole. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!