hunch

[ huhnch ]

/ hʌntʃ /

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See synonyms for: hunch / hunched on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to thrust out or up in a hump; arch: to hunch one's back.

to shove, push, or jostle.

verb (used without object)

to thrust oneself forward jerkily; lunge forward.

to stand, sit, or walk in a bent posture.

noun

a premonition or suspicion; guess: I have a hunch he'll run for reelection.

a hump.

a push or shove.

a lump or thick piece.

OTHER WORDS FOR hunch

5 surmise, feeling, theory, conjecture.

See synonyms for hunch on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of hunch

1590–1600; 1900–05 for def. 5; apparently variant of obsolete hinch to push, shove, kick < ?

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hunch

haunch, hunch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hunch in a sentence

My hunch is that the oscillations are due to the discrete nature of the problem, when the border between the yellow and blue regimes in that first graph shifts.
Can You Pass The Cranberry Sauce?|Zach Wissner-Gross|November 20, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Now, ultrafast measurements have caught water morphing from one type of liquid to the other, confirming that hunch.
Supercooled water has been caught morphing between two forms|Emily Conover|November 19, 2020|Science News
My hunch is that shopping patterns will feel longer and flatter, as opposed to the annual giant Thanksgiving weekend spike.
‘Shopping patterns will feel longer and flatter’: Gap’s CMO on preparing for holiday campaigns|Gabriela Barkho|October 23, 2020|Digiday
My hunch is that much like the tech giants, we should embrace the tension, and refashion our cities to be as good at spreading out during future emergencies as they are for crowding together during peacetime.
The Self-Driving Car Is a Red Herring - Issue 92: Frontiers|Anthony Townsend|October 21, 2020|Nautilus

World 50 itself is growing quickly, and I have a hunch its profile is going to rise in the months and years to come.
A goodbye after 19 years|Adam Lashinsky|October 5, 2020|Fortune
Dalgard moved, fighting against hunching his shoulders, against hurrying the pace.
Star Born|Andre Norton
I felt that familiar tightening behind my eyes, that familiar tensing and hunching of my shoulders.
Cue for Quiet|Thomas L. Sherred
Wherever we went, the young giant could be seen hunching along in our wake with that gait peculiar to football players.
Vacation with the Tucker Twins|Nell Speed
Hurstwood gazed at it a moment, snuffling and hunching one shoulder, as if something were scratching him.
Sister Carrie|Theodore Dreiser
“Keep your shirt on,” Frisk advised, hunching lower over the steering wheel.
Dan Carter and the River Camp|Mildred A. Wirt

British Dictionary definitions for hunch

hunch

/ (hʌntʃ) /

noun

an intuitive guess or feeling

another word for hump

a lump or large piece

verb

to bend or draw (oneself or a part of the body) up or together

(intr usually foll by up) to sit in a hunched position

Word Origin for hunch

C16: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hunch

OTHER WORDS FOR hunch

Origin of hunch

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hunch

Words related to hunch

How to use hunch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hunch

Word Origin for hunch