hunkered (down)

past tense of hunker (down)
as in crouched
to lie low with the limbs close to the body had to hunker down so no one would see him behind the gate

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hunkered (down)
Verb
  • The crowd crouched – then sprinted away from the canopy.
    Rick Jervis, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
  • And over the past nine months, a team of judges has been measuring it, pinpointing the exact location of the wave’s base, then stacking images of Slebir’s crouched pose on top of each other like a totem pole up the face of the wave.
    Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Inside, hundreds of people huddled together, crying.
    Rick Jervis, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
  • On fourth down a flag was thrown for what looked like pass interference on the Mustangs, but after the officials huddled, the penalty was waved off giving the ball back to the Bulldogs.
    Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Hunkered (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hunkered%20%28down%29. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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