What does hovelling mean?
Hovelling is a chiefly British informal noun meaning the accumulation or storage of possessions, especially in a home or another confined space. It can describe both the resulting clutter and the habit of keeping more things than are needed. The word often carries a mildly critical tone, suggesting that the possessions are excessive, unwanted, or making the space difficult to use, though this judgement is not always explicit. In everyday British English, “hovelling” can be used to characterise a person as well as a space: someone who hovels keeps accumulating possessions, while a room affected by hovelling may feel crowded and difficult to move around in. It is a more specific and informal alternative to “hoarding,” and is especially associated with domestic clutter rather than the broader business of collecting or storing items. The word is useful when one wants to name not simply untidiness, but the specific tendency to retain and accumulate possessions.
nounThe accumulation or storage of a large number of possessions, especially in a home or other confined space. It can also refer to the practice of keeping unnecessary items rather than discarding or storing them elsewhere.
- The accumulation or storage of possessions, especially excessive or unwanted ones in a home or confined space.
- The practice of keeping and accumulating possessions rather than disposing of them.
"The flat was spacious, but the amount of hovelling made it feel cramped."
"Years of hovelling had turned the small room into a storage space."
"After clearing out years of hovelling, she finally found the photograph she had been looking for."
Usually used in the plural when referring to instances or examples of this practice, though the singular is also possible.
"The residents were known for their hovellings in the communal corridors."
A tidy room can still contain a remarkable amount of hovelling: the trick is often deciding that a useful object is not the same as an object worth keeping.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hovelling come from?
Hovelling is a chiefly British word that functions as an informal variant of “hoarding,” with which it shares the sense of accumulating and keeping possessions. Its exact historical development is less clearly documented than that of the more established noun “hoard,” but it belongs to the informal vocabulary of British domestic life and has long been associated with clutter and excessive storage. The related forms “hoveller” and “hovelled” follow the same British usage pattern.
Related word forms
How hovelling is actually used
Chiefly informal and British. It often implies that the amount of stored possessions is excessive, disorganised, or inconvenient, although the judgement can be subjective.
Easily confused with hovelling
Hovelling is an informal British term for accumulating possessions, whereas hoarding can also refer more broadly to storing items or to a barrier erected around a construction site.