hunker down

hun·ker down

H h

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [huhng-ker doun]
- /ˈhʌŋ kər daʊn/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [huhng-ker doun]
- /ˈhʌŋ kər daʊn/

Definitions of hunker down words

verb without object hunker down to squat on one's heels (often followed by down). 1
verb without object hunker down Informal. to hunch: The driver hunkered over the steering wheel. to hide, hide out, or take shelter (usually followed by down): The escaped convicts hunkered down in a cave in the mountains. to hold resolutely or stubbornly to a policy, opinion, etc., when confronted by criticism, opposition, or unfavorable circumstances (usually followed by down): Though all the evidence was against him, he hunkered down and refused to admit his guilt. 1
verb without object hunker down Slang. to lumber along; walk or move slowly or aimlessly. 1
noun hunker down hunkers, one's haunches. 1
idioms hunker down on one's hunkers, British Informal. squatting on one's heels. suffering a period of poverty, bad luck, or the like. 1
intransitivephrasal verbs hunker down squat, crouch low 1

See all 12 definitions of hunker down

Information block about the term

Origin of hunker down

First appearance:

before 1710

One of the 50% oldest English words

1710-20; apparently hunk (perhaps nasalized variant of huck haunch; akin to Old Norse hūka to crouch) + -er6

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Hunker down

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Hunker down

hunker down popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 69% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

hunker down usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for hunker down

verb hunker down

crouch — If you are crouching, your legs are bent under you so that you are close to the ground and leaning forward slightly.
get down — to receive or come to have possession, use, or enjoyment of: to get a birthday present; to get a pension.
hunch — to thrust out or up in a hump; arch: to hunch one's back.
scrunch — to crunch, crush, or crumple.
squat — to sit in a low or crouching position with the legs drawn up closely beneath or in front of the body; sit on one's haunches or heels.

All 6 Synonyms of hunker down