hunkering

hun·ker

H h

Transcription

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

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

Definitions of hunkering word

verb without object hunkering to squat on one's heels (often followed by down). 1
verb without object hunkering 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 hunkering Slang. to lumber along; walk or move slowly or aimlessly. 1
noun hunkering hunkers, one's haunches. 1
idioms hunkering on one's hunkers, British Informal. squatting on one's heels. suffering a period of poverty, bad luck, or the like. 1
noun hunkering Present participle of hunker. 1

See all 6 definitions of hunkering

Information block about the term

Origin of hunkering

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 Hunkering

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Hunkering

hunkering 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.

According to our data about 59% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

hunkering usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer