hunker

verb

hun·​ker ˈhəŋ-kər 

hunkered; hunkering ˈhəŋ-k(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: crouch, squat

—usually used with down

2

: to settle in or dig in for a sustained period

—used with down

hunker down for a good long wait

—New Yorker

Synonyms

• couch
• crouch
• huddle
• hunch
• scrunch
• squat
• squinch

Examples of hunker in a Sentence

had to hunker down so no one would see him behind the gate

Recent Examples on the Web

The scene was simple: a security robot hunkered in a repair cubicle, mending its injuries. —Meghan Herbst, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024

Engineers, hunkered in hotel conference rooms arguing about block codes and channel capacity, had little time to enjoy the craps tables or eucalyptus steam rooms. —Steven Levy, WIRED, 16 Nov. 2020

As of now, patrols have been suspended altogether, with troops hunkered in their compounds. —Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024

As the snow fell and the frigid hours dragged on, the two relied on each other, both for morale and for survival, hunkering together to conserve body heat and share meager supplies. —Owen Clarke, Outside Online, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably akin to Middle Dutch hucken, huken to squat, Middle Low German hōken to squat, peddle, Old Norse hūka to squat

First Known Use

1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing hunker

• hunker down

Kids Definition

hunker

verb

hun·​ker ˈhəŋ-kər 

hunkered; hunkering -k(ə-)riŋ 

1

: crouch

hunker down under the tent

2

: to settle in for a long time

hunkering down for the winter